Demonic Instincts
by GhostMenace2
Summary: When Astaroth comes to take Rin back to Gehenna, what would happen if Fujimoto didn't save him? How will Rin survive in Gehenna? Will he rough it out and come back to his family alive? Or submit to his Father and do as he says without a second thought? And what will happen when Rin DOES return to Assiah? Rated T for swear words and mild gore. (Later RinxOC...Kinda)
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Basically, this story starts at the very end of episode 1 of Ao no Exorcist. Everything's the same, except Fujimoto never shows up to save him.**

_In a small back alley_

Astaroth, whom had possessed the body of the young boy Shiratori, was down on one knee before Rin, extending his hand out to him, expecting him to grab it.

"My prince, My name is Astaroth, King of Rot. Our Lord has long since awaited your return, let us go to him together," spoke the demon king, in a calm tone. Rin was staring between the flames that covered his body and the deformed man with horns in front of him. He could barely get out his words.

"Y-Your, ….Lord?"

"Yes young price, my Lord is awaiting your arrival." The demon king, growing only a tad bit impatient, grabbed the young prince's hand and brought him to his feet. "We must hurry before the Exorcists arrive…" Astaroth muttered under his breath so some disgust when he reached the word 'Exorcists'.

"Wait!" Rin yelled, trying to free the demon's grasp on him. "Where are you taking me? What are you!? Why am I so important!?" Rin, unable to get away from the demon was being dragged through many different alleyways.

"WHAT!? You mean to tell me you know NOTHING of your lineage?" Astaroth let out a sigh and continued, "Figures. Those damned humans hate everyone and everything that isn't from Assiah." Astaroth continued dragging a confused Rin until the reached an abandoned warehouse.

"Assiah…?" Rin, even though panicking at the confusing situation, couldn't help but to stop and ask what the demon meant by 'from Assiah'.

"You will see soon, my young prince. All will be revealed, when Lord Satan welcomes you home!" The demon king couldn't help but let out a laugh of unmeasurable amounts of joy. He had, at long last, found the missing prince! The one whom had eluded the best demons for the better part of 15 years! It was a momentous occasion!

"S….Satan….." Rin whispered quietly to himself. Although he wasn't religious in the slightest, you didn't have to be to know that Satan was the worst known demon known to man. Rin realized suddenly, because sadly it took him awhile to put things together, that this thing dragging him along, was planning to take him to Satan! Rin couldn't believe it! He knew this just had to be a dream! It had to be! Demons weren't even real! They were just made up fairy tales! But Rin couldn't seem to deny that deep down, this Astaroth person was telling the truth. He also couldn't deny the fact that he was basically a walking blue candle! Although the flames were slowly dying down.

"My young prince, it won't take long for word of you awakening to get around. It will soon reach Lord Satan's ears. When that happens, he will open the glorious Gehenna Gate for us to return to him!" Rin noticed that in all of his ranting, Astaroth had loosened his grip on Rin's hand. With a quick and unexpected yank, Rin was able to rip his hand free and he took off running.

"Young Prince! What are you doing! Lord Satan has searched for years for you! I'm sorry, but if you won't come willingly I will have to take you to your father by force!" When these words left Astaroth's mouth Rin suddenly realized a few things. For one, that Astaroth was running after him, and gaining on him for that matter, at great speeds. He also realized that instead of referring to him as 'Lord Satan' he had said 'Your Father', only confirming what Rin had pieced together in his mind. And lastly, he had realized that while the demon king had led him down all the alleyways, he hadn't been paying attention as to where he was going, so he was officially lost.

"Dammit!" He cursed under his breath. Rin tried running around every corner and jumping over every obstacle, to hopefully make the demon chasing him stumble or slow down. But Astaroth was still gaining on him. Suddenly, when he turned a corner he was confronted by a mob of dead dogs. They all smelled of horrible decay. Rin, trying to just ignore the dogs and keep running was soon tackled to the ground by a few, and then pinned by the rest. By now his blue flames had gone out, little did he know that demons were afraid and hurt by them. He squirmed and struggled underneath the mass of dead animals, but couldn't get out before Astaroth had caught up to him.

"Prince, why do you run? Why do you try to run from your lineage? Your family?" asked Astaroth, not out of breath in the slightest from chasing after Rin.

"The old man and Yukio are my family! I'm not a demon; I am NOT the son of Satan!" screamed Rin. However, it was futile. With a simple gesture from Astaroth, the dogs backed off of Rin. Rin tried to scramble to get to his feet and run, but by then Astaroth had re-grabbed Rin's hand. "Let me go yo-you, Demon!" At this little outburst, Astaroth couldn't help but to be amused.

"Young Prince, you and I are one of the same. You are just as much a demon as I am, and just as much of a demon as those ghouls," He said gesturing the towards the dead dogs. "However, your a lot smarter than those things, they have very simple minds you know." Suddenly, all the ghouls erupted in giant, blue flames. Rin stared at them in awe and fear._ 'They look just like the ones that had came out of me….'_ He thought to himself. Out of nowhere the dogs started to bite each other and bleed a strange dark blood, that looked more black that it did red. Soon the blood started to mix together on the floor and a hideous creation came forth.

"Lord Satan has gotten word from one of my minions! How splendid! That was much faster than I had first anticipated!" Astaroth patiently held the squirming prince's hand as he waited for the Gehenna Gate to finish forming. All the while Rin was screaming things such as "HELP ME!", "SOMEONE! PLEASE SAVE ME!", and, "DAD! YUKIO! ANYONE!" into the sky.

"Time to meet your father, young prince," said Astaroth as he threw Rin into the Gate. Rin continued to scream and flail, but to his great disappointment, nobody had heard his cries for help. Rin was slowly dragged down into the dark, his vision becoming cloudy, and his mind shutting down. Soon he passed out and was swallowed by the abyss that had formed.

_Roughly 5 blocks away, 1 minute before the Gehenna Gate had opened_

"Dammit Rin, why couldn't you have just stayed home and accepted being grounded? Now you've got be fighting all these demons, just so I can get to you," Said Fujimoto to himself. He held his cross pin as he recited verses to kill the hordes of demons trying to stop him from proceeding. However, Fujimoto just calmly continued to walk by as if there weren't hundreds of demons in his way. He continued to chant his verses until he finally heard something over the growls and grunts of the demons.

"SOMEONE! PLEASE SAVE ME!"

_'That sounds like Rin!'_ thought Fujimoto. Instantly Fujimoto took off in the direction of the scream, hoping he wouldn't be too late.

"DAD! YUKIO! ANYONE!" Rin's screams seemed to get more desperate and loud as Fujimoto grew closer, running as fast as his body would allow him to. Over Rin's screams, Fujimoto heard another, darker voice.

"Time to meet your father, young prince." Fujimoto, already running as fast as he could, could do nothing to stop what he saw as he rounded the corner. A demon stood in front of the Gehenna Gate looking down at it, smiling. He turned around when he heard Fujimoto, looking at the priest with his unnerving eyes. Fujimoto was fixated on the Gehenna Gate that was in the middle of the alleyway, but then he realized that in all of the heads, lay an unconscious Rin, who had sunken down to the point of only being able to see his dark blue hair. In an instant Fujimoto knew he couldn't save his son as he was dragged down into the world of Gehenna. "Oh, how interesting. It seems you have impeccable timing, . Too bad, our prince has now returned to our Lord's side." Mocked the demon king.

"Shut up.." said Fujimoto under his breath while in a state of shock.

"What was that?" taunted Astaroth, in a way that a victory may speak to a loser of a competition. "I couldn't quite catch that." The demon laughed as he stared at the crushed looking priest in front of him.

"SHUT UP!" Raged Fujimoto screeched. He ran straight at the demon, reciting a prayer as he ran.

"_Evil is in their hearts. Oh Lord, give to them according to their works and the wickedness of their inventions. According to the works of their hand, render on them their reward. Thou shall destroy them and shall't_ (**AN: In all actuality thats how Fujimoto says it in the English dubbed anime, I looked it up :P**)_build them up. Blessed be the Lord. You have heard my supplication, The Lord as my helper, and my protector, Thou shall perish!"_ While he was reciting his verses the demon king, Astaroth, was doing everything he could to stop him. Throwing punches left and right, but Fujimoto, even though in a rage, was able to grab the demon king and throw him to the ground. As he finished the prayer, the demon left the young boys body, but that didn't matter to Fujimoto. All the mattered was that Rin was taken away and it would be very hard to get him back. Fujimoto was contemplating jumping into Gehenna himself, but before he had the chance, the Gate abruptly closed, as if it had never been there in the first place. Although he was in some dank alleyway with some an unconscious teenager with him, Fujimoto couldn't stop himself from crying at the lose of his son….

_Down in the depths of Gehenna, The Palace of Satan_

_'So he has finally arrived has he? Excellent…..'_ thought Satan._ 'Now there is the matter of retrieving him from wherever he fell… He should be close by, but I can't be certain...'_ Apparently he had started to talking to himself out loud and his servant, Sebastian, didn't say anything, but looked at his master questionably. Realizing he had started mumbling aloud, Satan made extra sure to keep his mouth shut, not many knew of his plans._ 'I don't want the general public to know of my son's arrival. They will lose respect for him if he is not shown off as a cold blooded demon. The way he is now, most would probably kill him._' Satan knew he shouldn't care if the young boy were to die, but sadly he was an important part of his plans. Satan, sighing loudly, said to Sebastian,

"Hey, Sebastian, do you know if my son, Astaroth, has returned yet? I need to have a word with him."

"I do not I'm afraid," said the demon to his master, who stood obediently at his master's side. Just then a demon, resembling that of a coal tar, but roughly 100 time bigger, entered the room and soared over to Sebastian. It mumbled something in its demon language before it let the room. "It would appear that Astaroth was forced back to Gehenna for a moment, but it was brutal. He was exorcised by the Paladin. In a rage he had been able to gather enough strength to repossess his host, and he is currently going to seek his revenge." Satan sighed at the imputance of his son. His mission to retrieve the boy was complete! He had no more reason to stay in Assiah._ 'No matter,'_ thought Satan,_ 'I will just have to send someone out to retrieve my youngest son.'_

"Sebastian, I need to ask a favor of you. You see, there is this pesky little human teen who has crossed over to this realm. I need you to find him and bring him to me…. alive."

"As you wish, your highness. However, I must ask, why not just let this boy die? Is he someone special to you?" Sebastian asked, hoping to understand why this was important to his master.

"I guess I can't really hide it from you any longer, but if I tell you, you must swear to me you won't tell anyone, or I WILL burn you." Sebastian, now standing in front of his master, rather than by his side, bowed and said,

"As you wish master, I will not tell anyone or anything about this conversation." Satan sighed with a little frustration and said,

"You going to retrieve my half-breed son, Rin. He has lived in Assiah for 15 years, but I have finally found him. I don't want anyone to meet or see him yet, because he still acts human. Nobody would respect him or acknowledge him as my son. And how can anyone trust a human to run my army?"

"I see," said Sebastian, making sure not to allow any emotion into his voice, "then I will be off. I will return with the prince alive master." Finally raising himself from his bow, Sebastian left Satan's throne room and set out to find the prince.

_Down in the depths of Gehenna, The Fog_

Rin awoke very groggily. He had a massive headache and felt like he was going to throw up. After just lying on the ground for a few minutes, Rin finally opened his eyes and sat up, slowly. He looked around not knowing where he was._ 'Damn, what is this place? All there is fog as far as I can see.'_ he thought silently to himself. **This is Gehenna, out-lander.** Rin, startled by the strange, deep voice stood up quickly and got into a fighting stance. He shouted,

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Rin turned around, searching for where the voice came, but the voice just seemed to be amused.** Hahaha! You humans, so silly to watch, yet so fun at the same time.**

"I said, SHOW YOURSELF!" Rin screamed, allowing his anger to slip into his voice. Along with his anger, he had let slip the blue flames again. "Shit, not this again…." said Rin, quietly.** Ahh! I see! You must be the rumored son of Satan! I never thought those rumors were true! But here you are, in the flesh! How wonderful! However, you seem almost human! That won't do! That simply won't do at all.** Rin suddenly realized that the voice didn't seem to come from any particular direction, but instead spoke straight into his mind._ 'Damn if he speaks through our minds I won't be able to tell wheres hes coming from! He could be anywhere in this fog...'_ thought Rin,_ 'I shouldn't run though, who knows if I'm gonna run into another….'_ he paused in his mind for a second, still trying to grasp the idea of demons,_ 'demon.'_ he finished.

**Well it's far too late to be avoiding demons now my boy, your right in the middle of one… **said the voice, slyly.

"Dammit! Get out of my head!" Shouted Rin into the fog, still looking back and forth, trying to distinguish anything that he could in the fog. **Don't you understand yet? I AM the fog! I may not have a solid body, but instead have a gaseous one. It's what allows me to slip in and out of people's minds so easily.** Rin was shocked by the new fact, and was frankly a little frightened. He decided his best option was to run as fast as he could to try and escape the fog. Rin, without hesitation, bolted from his position in a random direction he had chosen. **HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Well now I'm REALLY amused!** As Rin was running through the fog he felt something stop him dead in his tracks. He couldn't move his arms or legs for some reason. He tried to move them, but they were constricted by something. He was alarmed to see that his wrists and ankles were entirely encased in small bits of fog. The fog started to move and along with it,it pulled Rin, who was now suspended in the air, fighting with all his strength to break free.** While I did say I didn't have a solid body, that doesn't mean I can't manipulate solid objects with my fog. You are not going anywhere my young prince.** After struggling for a few more minutes Rin knew he couldn't escape and began to calm down. As he started to relax while being there, suspended in air, his flames died down as well.

"What is it you want with me anyway! Just let me go!" Rin pleaded, trying to reason with the demon, rather than using brute force.** I assume you've been living in Assiah for a long time…. Otherwise you wouldn't look so human and everyone around here would know about you.**

"What the hell is with this whole 'Assiah' thing! I don't even know what that is! Astaroth mentioned it while he was dragging me here, but I still don't understand!**" I see….. Well then, let's have a nice little chat shall we? You don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.** Rin grunted, but didn't respond. The mysterious voice began telling Rin everything there was to know about Gehenna.

_In Assiah, The Monastery_

Fujimoto had returned to the monastery, but wouldn't say a word to his associates. He quietly walked to his office, slamming the door behind him. He just needed some time was all; time to process what had happened to his adopted son._ 'I should have told him earlier! I should've prepared him for a day like this!'_ Fujimoto thought, angrily to himself. He sat down in his chair looking at his desk. It was littered with paperwork, some paperweights, and two pictures, both of his sons. He looked gloomily at the the pictures, saddened by his thoughts. Suddenly, Yukio entered his office.

"Yukio! I thought you were at the school, unpacking!" Said the startled Fujimoto.

"I was, but then someone called me and told me… what happened….." Fujimoto was stunned for a second, remembering that he hadn't told anyone Rin was taken away, but he then realized that he had told one of the priests he was going to LOOK for him. Returning without him and in a depressed, unresponsive state, the priest (**AN: IDK what the names of the 4 priest people, who live at the monastery with Fujimoto, so i just put priests.**) was able to put one and two together.

"We can't tell anyone about this you know, if word gets out I could be in a lot of trouble, but not only that. If the Vatican find out that the son of Satan was alive AND is now in Gehenna, they will shoot him on sight! No, we have to keep this on the down low. However, we ARE going to need some help….. Dammit, I may need to talk to Mephisto about this…." Yukio just stood there silently as his father rambled on about saving Rin. His mind was going 80 miles per hour. He hadn't fully believed that Rin was gone, but know he knew for certain that he was gone…. Yukio started to cry a little…. realizing he had failed to keep his brother safe…..

_In Assiah, Outside the Monastery_

"So this is where that pathetic Exorcist lives," said Astaroth, talking to himself. He glimpsed up to the sky to see the sun fleeting into the distance. Soon would be an opportune time to strike. He gathered tons of his minions from around the area, preparing for his attack. "This will be fun!"

_1 Hour later_

Yukio had since returned to the room he and Rin had shared, trying to hold on to his memories. He didn't know if he could go on knowing that Rin had been taken to Gehenna and may never return._ 'And if he does come back, he may not be himself anymore…. Will he even be human?'_ thought Yukio. Before Yukio could ponder his thoughts, He heard a large crashing sound._ 'What was that?! Was there a car crash outside?'_ He ran quickly to the main hall to go out the front door, but saw that the sound had not been from outside. A huge 16-wheeled truck had plowed straight into the front of the monastery! Ghouls started to walk in slowly, most of them being dogs. Some demon mushrooms started to grow on any flat surface they could find, trying to cover the entire main hall. Fujimoto and the others were already in the room fighting what looked to be a human possessed by a demon. Yukio drew his pistols and started firing rapidly at the demon mushrooms._ 'I can't shoot that guy yet! My pistols are filled with lethal bullets! I need to empty out my cartridges and reload them with some that are filled with tranq darts.'_

"Damn you Exorcist! This is what you get for exorcising me!" roared Astaroth.

"Dad! What is this thing?" yelled Yukio, as he finished emptying his gun.

"It's Astaroth! He was the one who took Rin to Gehenna! Afterwards, I exorcised him, but it looks like all I did was make him angry." Fujimoto explained. Suddenly, Astaroth took in a gasp as his demon senses started tingling.

"What…. is that?" He said, momentarily forgetting the battle that was taking place between his servants and the Exorcists. "That presence….. I have felt that before…..that's the young prince! Why do I feel his presence!? I SENT HIM TO GEHENNA!" Thinking Rin had someone escaped from Gehenna, Astaroth became enraged and started to head in the direction of Rin's presence. "He's underneath that alter isn't he!" yelled Astaroth pointing to the big alter the Exorcists were standing near. Yukio, a little confused thought,_ 'But Dad and the others said Rin was...'_ Without a word, Astaroth ran from the building, appearing to flee, but his minions were still there. Without wasting anymore time Yukio snapped back into reality and continued killing the demons. As the number of demons decreased, the Exorcists believed the battle to be over, but they were wrong. Astaroth drove a minivan straight through the wall of the monastery and into the alter. Along the way, Astaroth managed to take Fujimoto by surprise and rammed into him, sending the old man flying. Fujimoto hit the wall hard and slid down it, onto his back. He was bleeding from his nose and mouth and needed serious medical attention.

"DAD!" Cried out Yukio, as he rushed to his father, leaving Astaroth to the others.

"Yukio! Don't worry about me! Stop Astaroth! Hes sensing the Kurikara sword and believes it to be Rin! If anything that sword may be MORE important than Rin himself! It's our only hope of Rin remaining human! GO!" Yukio was conflicted, but in the end left his father, broken and bloody, to try and stop Astaroth. Astaroth stepped out of the van and, with a single foot, kicked it towards the four priests. Most of them were hit by it, but one managed to avoid it. However, he was only an aria, and not one capable of Exorcising a demon king, so he called out,

"Yukio! Stop him! I can't do much to help you, so I'm going to get Fujimoto and the others out of here!" Yukio didn't reply. Instead he just nodded in the priests direction and chased after Astaroth who had gone down the now revealed staircase.

"My young prince?" Astaroth asked, completely confused. All there was in the tiny room was a giant red chest. However, Astaroth knew that's where the young prince's presence was emanating from. He opened a draw in the chest to reveal a sword. He picked it up and knew that thid sword was what he was feeling, not the prince. Yukio, who had managed to get up behind the demon, shot him; emptying his clips into him. Astaroth fell to one knee, and screamed in pain. Well, in mock pain. His scream gradually died down into a laugh.

"Foolish human! It'll take a lot more that tranquilizer bullets and holy water to put me down!" _'DAMMIT! I put in the non-leathal cartridges! This is bad!'_ thought Yukio. Astaroth turned around swiping at Yukio, knocking him up against a wall in the small room. Yukio was unconscious before he even hit the wall. Now looking at the sword more carefully, Astaroth drew it from its sheath...

**AN: BUMBUMBUM! Astaroth likes cars a lot, so he drives them into people's houses. That's gonna be a recurring habit of his, I decided :P Please review this and tell me what you liked, didn't like, could use improvement, was spelled wrong or worded incorrectly. I haven't done much of this stuff in the past, so all criticism helps! **


	2. Chapter 2

**_Thanks to the people who read and reviewed my first chapter. I greatly appreciate all feedback! _**

_In Assiah, The Monastery_

Blue flames burst from the sword illuminating the dark room. Clarity rushed to Astaroth's mind as he realized what he had done.

"So this is how they hid the prince for 15 years. They sealed his powers within a sword! Lord Satan will be very pleased." Astaroth sheathed the sword, and proceeded out of the underground room. As he walked past the unconscious Yukio, he, being unable to resist himself, kicked him right in his side. "Foolish human." He muttered, as he left the room. Astaroth came out to discover the other 5 who had been fighting his minions had fled. His demon urges wanted to chase after them, so that he may finish exacting revenge. However, he knew he had to report back to his father._ 'Those Exorcist may have escaped with their lives….. but their home is another matter….'_ thought Astaroth, as he plotted to do more damage to the monastery._ 'I won't be able to stick around and watch, sadly. I will just have to take pleasure in knowing my minions will take care of it.'_ Astaroth summoned many demon mushrooms that would grow and on and rot anything made of wood, crumbling the buildings structural foundation._ 'Now to send news of my discovery to Satan!'_

_Down in the depths of Gehenna, The Fog (Moments before Astaroth drew the sword)_

"I see… and Exorcists want to kill ALL demons?" asked Rin, now having basic knowledge on Assiah, Gehenna, Demons, and Exorcists. **Yes, indeed they do.** Replied the Fog in a saddened tone. Rin, who was let down and is now sitting crosslegged on the ground, was angered. His family had never told him that he was a demon, nor did they mention at all that they were Exorcists. He wasn't just angry, oh no. He was pissed!

"Next time I see that four-eyed ass, I'm gonna strangle his neck! Who does he think his is anyway?! Not telling me about any of this stuff!" Rin sighed, letting out some of his anger. He still couldn't believe that, not only was this all real, but his family, the ones who were supposed to love him and be honest with him, hid all of it! "And why would they kill all demons? I understand killing some, like the ones who kill or possess people, but what about ones like you? You're nice."

**Because humans are evil. Theirs hearts are weak and they kill demons because in their minds it is justified. They can't be trusted.** Rin, after hearing all the demon had told him, didn't know what to believe anymore._ 'Even though they lied, they're still my family…. Right?'_ Rin thought to himself. The Fog was going to comment, but realized if it were a question meant for him, Rin would've spoken aloud. A dark silence came over the two, as Rin contemplated his thoughts. However it wasn't long before something happened. Rin erupted into a pillar of flames, without warning. He grew fangs, his ears became pointed and longer, and he grew a tail. However, Rin didn't feel or notice these changes. He was more focused on his flames. They were much brighter, bigger, and purer than the ones he normally let loose. And this time he didn't even DO anything; the flames just came on their own.** Hmmmm, this is interesting. You look like a real demon now! I guess what even was concealing your powers and appearance in Assiah finally broke.** After hearing what the Fog had said, Rin realized what he had meant by 'appearance'.

"I have a tail!?" Said Rin fairly surprised. The Fog laughed in amusement as the young prince stared, fascinated by his tail. But, just as quickly as the flames had come, they had gone. Taking with them the long ears, however, his ears were still pointed. His fangs weren't as long either, but were still there, and he had kept his tail. **What's this? It seems the thing sealing your powers isn't a one time thing. It appears to act like a switch that someone can flick on and off at will.** "Yea, but who has the switch?" asked Rin. **That, my young prince, I do not know.**

"KABUS!" Shouted a deep, powerful voice.**(AN: Pronounced KAH-BUS for those who are wondering)** **Hmmmm? Oh, hello Sebastian. A little late to be out on a stroll.** _'Kabus….'_ thought Rin. _'Oh Shit! In all the time we were talking I forgot to ask him if he had a name!'_ A demon, Rin assumed it to be the who had shouted, came through the fog into the clearing were Rin sat. "Kabus, you do realize who that is right?" asked a tall, humanoid demon.** Of course I do! It is the young prince! I have been telling him about the ways of our people.** "Kabus, you really are the biggest pain in my side," said Sebastian, in annoyance."You should have brought him to the castle the moment you laid eyes on him!" **But I was having so much fun talking to him!** Rin, now that Sebastian was walking towards him, could see that Sebastian had brown hair and golden eyes. He was wearing a weird outfit, that resembled a suit, however, even though he had on a suit, Rin could see how built and strong he looked. _'This guy looks important,'_ thought Rin, _'better make sure not to piss him off.' _

"Kabus, Lord Satan has ordered me not to tell anyone about the prince's arrival, I suggest you do the same." said Sebastian. **As you wish. Anyway, I will be taking my leave now. If you need anyone to teach our young prince here about his lineage, please, don't hesitate to ask me.** Replied Kabus in a mocking tone. Kabus and his fog drifted away, allowing Rin to see what Gehenna looked like for the first time. It was hideous, in Rin's eyes. The sky was as black as night with a red sun gleaming in it. The landscape near him was nothing but giant hills and rocky plains. In the distance, he could see some mountains. Rin, looking away from the landscape, turning his attention back to Sebastian. "Lord Satan has requested you at his castle, my young prince." said Sebastian, without even a hint of emotion or compassion in his voice. This unsettled Rin to a great ends. However, with nowhere to go, Rin just nodded to the demon as he stood. The demon extended his hand, and without any hesitation, Rin accepted it.

_In Assiah, The Warehouse (The morning after Astaroth's Attack)_

Fujimoto had a plan for every situation there was, including a high level demon attacking the house. He had bought a warehouse roughly 5 blocks away from the monastery that he kept full of medical supplies, food, and other necessities of living. He had told everyone, with the exception of Rin, about the warehouse. It was a sort of safe house used in emergencies when the monastery isn't the safest place to go. It had an EXTREMELY powerful spiritual barrier, even stronger than the monastery's. However, the barrier itself was very small, and could never stay intact if it tried to cover a bigger area, like the monastery. The aria that had left Yukio along to fight Astaroth, bought the other 3 priests and Fujimoto with him to the E.R. After they had been treated for their injuries they were free to go; All except Fujimoto. So, Fujimoto had them sneak him out and bring him to the warehouse, where they all hid until morning. However, Yukio never came to the warehouse. _'This isn't good…. Yukio better be alright!'_ thought Fujimoto, angrily, as he lay on a inflatable mattress, unable to move. When Astaroth had rammed him with that car it had broken a couple ribs of his._ 'Well now that the demonic activity has tapered out, I can send one of these four to look for him.'_ Fujimoto tried to move a little, but winced at the pain it caused. Even though the doctors from the E.R. had wrapped him up all nice he wasn't supposed to move at all for a few weeks.

"Guys, I'm going out to look for Yukio. He should've come back by now." said one of the four. They all mumbled their OKs and the fat priest set off towards the Monastery, on foot. _'Well, guess I don't need to say anything after all. I should've known. They care for Yukio just as much as I do.'_ After, he left, the other three started to make breakfast, but it wasn't a very appetizing one, considering the food that Father Fujimoto kept in the warehouse were canned and most of it wasn't breakfast-type foods. Finally, Fujimoto was able to speak up.

"Guys," he said in a hoarse voice, "there is a blue box in the corner of the warehouse. Inside is a cellphone with a phone number saved on it. Bring it here and call that number. Put it on speaker phone." The priests did as Fujimoto asked and they all were standing around Fujimoto, listening to the ringing. Mephisto picked up the other end and in a very sarcastic way said,

"Fujimoto! You must be having a WONDERFUL day, are you not?"

"CUT THE CRAP MEPHISTO!" said Fujimoto in anger. However, this sent him into a small coughing fit.

"Sorry! Sorry! Now what is it you need?" Mephisto asked, feigning ignorance.

"I need you to keep this situation on the down low. I don't want people asking questions about why a demon king suddenly showed up. Please, as a friend, take care of this for me will ya?" There was silence from the other side of the phone, keeping the four of them in anticipation of Mephisto's answer.

"I'll do it, under one condition." replied Mephisto, breaking the silence.

"And that it?"

"The Kurikara sword. I want to hold onto it from now on."

"Hmph," grunted Fujimoto, "I can't do that. I don't even have it anymore."

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Mephisto, in sheer surprise. "Then who does!?"

"If all went well, then Yukio does, however we haven't seen Yukio since yesterday and have no idea whats going on. It's quite possibly that the demon king, Astaroth, who attacked us, now has it in his possession." explained Fujimoto.

"Did he draw it?"

"I'm not even sure if he has it so I can't tell you."

"I see. I will send out a familiar of mine to search for Kurikara, wherever it may be. And when it finds it, I get it, no matter who has it, understood?"

"Will you keep this on the down low then?"

"I will," said Mephisto, "so long as you agree."

"I accept your terms Mephisto. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some recovering to do."

"As you wish," said Mephisto, as he hung up.

**AN: I just realized something. Whenever I would read a fan-fic that had to do with Rin going to Gehenna I would be like 'IDC what happens is Assiah! Just go back to Rin!' but now, as I'm reading it, I realize how important to the story it is :P Tell me if you like more of the Gehenna part of the story or the Assiah part in the review section!**

_In Assiah, The Monastery (The morning after Astaroth's Attack)_

Groggily, Yukio awoke in the small underground room. He tried to stand, but when he did his felt dizzy and so had to it back down. His…. everything… hurt like hell! He had a killer headache, possible concussion, a hurt rib, dislocated shoulder, and had bruises and cuts all over. He rested, his back up against the wall, for a few minutes until he had enough strength to stand.

_'Dammit! That demon got the Kurikara sword! I need to get it back, or else Rin…..'_ thought Yukio, angrily._ 'Wait a minute…. What time is it? I feel like I have been unconscious for awhile now...'_ Yukio looked down at his watch and was shocked to discover that he had slept through the night on the cold stone floor._ 'Damn, Dad's probably worried.'_ He made his way to the stairs but realized they were covered in…. mushrooms? Upon further inspection Yukio discovered that they were a low level of rotting demon that, apparently, liked to manifest and rot wood._ 'I don't have time to deal with this shit!'_ thought Yukio, as he continued up the stairs just walking on top of and squishing all the demons. When he came up out of the room, into the main hall, his heart nearly stopped. Every single wooden surface, walls, floors, pews, and the ceilings, were covered in the rotting demons! And then it hit him. Yukio remembered that these demons were called 'Cendawan kayu' or Wooden Mushrooms. He had learned about them back when he was an exwire and seemed to recall that it took roughly 10 hours for them to rot threw solid wood….. how long had he been sleeping for again? He didn't even bother to check his watch, because he heard the cracking of wood above him. Even with all his injuries, Yukio ran as fast as he could to the gaping hole in the wall that Astaroth had left the previous night. He was barely able to make it out when the entire monastery came crumbling down._ 'Damn that Astaroth!'_ Yukio, now in the courtyard outside, continued walking until he collapsed from exhaustion by the gate._ 'Dammit, I don't have enough energy to do anything.'_ And as if on cue, one of the four priests pulled up in a minivan, similar to the one Astaroth had driven the previous night.

"Yukio! What happened to the monastery!? And are you ok? You look terrible!" asked the fat priest. Yukio, being too tired to even respond, just shook his head and started crying, finally realizing that, with Kurikara being gone, his brother's human side would surely vanish along with it. The fat priest was very strong, despite his appearance and lifted Yukio up and into the car.

"Well I'm taking you to the hospital. Your father and the others are already at the warehouse, but I don't think I can take you there in your condition, we just don't have that kind of medical equipment." Yukio wasn't even listening to the priest. Between his injuries and sprinting like a mad man through the monastery, Yukio had burned up a ton of energy of the little energy he had. He slowly slipped back into his unconscious state.

_In the depth of Gehenna, The Castle of Satan_

"Wow…." Rin was awestruck by the architecture of Satan's castle and he wasn't even on the inside yet! His castle was gothic in theme and looked like it was directly ripped out of a horror movie. After walking for what felt like hours, Rin and Sebastian were now standing on a hill, roughly 2 miles from the castle. Rin, who was getting more and more comfortable with demons, had talked to Sebastian on their long journey and had found out a few things about him. One was that Sebastian didn't like to talk if it wasn't necessary and Two, Sebastian was easily annoyed. Rin thought that Sebastian was a very bad travel companion. As the two of them started to near the castle, Sebastian spoke up,

"Rin, when you meet your father, make sure to bow, use proper conduct, and look him directly into his eyes, ok? He is very particular when it comes to manners." Rin nodded, taking mental note to not piss off Satan. _'I wonder what he's like….'_ thought Rin. They continued to the castle until they were stop by a few demon guards. They hissed at Sebastian in some demon language Rin couldn't understand, but Sebastian knew exactly what they were saying. After Sebastian gave them a small pouch of something, Rin and Sebastian continued on their way.

"What did you give them?" asked Rin.

"Human blood in a bag," responded Sebastian calmly. Rin was instinctively repulsed by the statement, but got the feeling Sebastian was joking. He WAS joking…. right? The two of them had now made their way to the 'Grand Hall' as Sebastian called it. Although not inside yet, Rin knew it was going to be grand, just by looking at the huge, red doors in front of him. _'I don't think I could touch the top of this do if I was three times as tall!'_ thought Rin. As the two approached, the doors just opened, without anyone opening them, as if the building itself knew to open its door for the new prince. Once inside, Rin was impressed to no ends. The Grand Hall seemed to go on forever! It was huge! Doors spread out all across the hall to the left and right. But, Rin somehow knew his destination was the set of doors at the very end of the hall. He could SENSE his father's presence from beyond the door. _'Strange… This feeling is…. different. I just KNOW Satan is behind that door…. but how do I know?'_ As Rin contemplated this thought, he couldn't help but notice that the entire hall was void of demons, and for that matter, sound as well.

"Why isn't anyone here? The only other people we've seen on our trip here have been those two guards out front that you gave the pouch to."

"You father wants as little people to know of your arrival as possible, until you are fully trained. Therefore, he had cleared out his castle of demons for today, but they will be returning tomorrow." replied Sebastian, still without a single emotion in his monotone voice.

"I see, and what does being 'fully trained' entail?" Rin's constant talking and question asking finally got to Sebastian.

"JUST SHUT UP! I have been trying to deal with you but for fuck's sake! Just wait! You will find out soon!" This outburst shut Rin up instantly, but it didn't stop him from thinking about it. They continued down the hall until they reached the double doors. "Beyond this door is your father's throne room. When you enter, make sure to be as polite as can be if you want to avoid being put on Satan's bad side." Sebastian was about to open the door, but he stopped to say one last thing. "By the way, I don't remember the last time I met someone on Satan's bad side." Rin gulped at hearing this. He couldn't help but wonder, '_What happened to people on Satan's bad side?'_ Without another word, Sebastian opened the door to Satan's Throne Room.

**AN: I feel like I jump from place to place a little too much, I'm gonna try to cut back on that, but there are so many different parts of the story and people that the story follows, its hard NOT to jump around…. Let me know if all the jumping from place to place bothers you or not!**

_In Assiah, In some random alleyway (Morning after Astaroth's Attack)_

Astaroth dragged the sword behind him lazily as he wandered through the alleyways of Rin's hometown. He was severely bored! He had contacted his father through some of his servants and told him about the sword he discovered. His father was pleased, but at the same time saddened. He was excited for his son to have found something so important and vital to his plans, however, was saddened by the fact that it was day time in Assiah. Satan could only open his Gehenna Gate at night, due to his lack of strength during the day. So to pass the time Astaroth had been walked aimlessly around. He had thought briefly about going to crush those exorcists, but decided it shouldn't be done due to the fact that he needed to hold to the sword at all costs. He continued down his random paths until he ran into something, rather interesting. There was a small white dog that wore an impeccably, fabulous bow. However, the strangest thing about the small little dog was the fact that it gave off an aura that was very familiar. Suddenly, the dog spoke,

"I'm gonna need that sword, Brother." It spat out the word 'Brother' with disgust. Astaroth's eyes widened a little in terror. He finally realized who was standing in front of him. It was was none other that Mephisto Pheles, Demon King of Time. With a 'poof' and some pink smoke, Mephisto changed from his dog form back into his normal demon body. He extended out his hand to Astaroth. "Astaroth, the sword. NOW!" commanded Mephisto. However, his younger brother wasn't willing to comply.

"Father, told me to hold on to this no matter what. Sorry, but if you want it, pick it up with Father." replied Astaroth, trying not to show any fear he may have.

"Sorry about this Astaroth, but I'm taking that sword, no matter what our father says." Mephisto suddenly leapt into action, pulling, from out of no where, an umbrella. "Eins! Zwei! Drei!"

A giant fireball blasted out of the tip of Mephisto's umbrella nailing Astaroth in his chest and setting him ablaze. Astaroth, being the King of Rot, is the natural enemy to fire. It hurts him a lot more than it would hurt a normal person or demon. Astaroth screamed out in pain and tried to summon up minions to aid him in his battle against Mephisto, but those were set on fire too. "You should've just let me have Kurikara. I never wanted to inflict this much pain upon a family member." said Mephisto, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm. Astaroth, not letting go of the sword, did his best to muster through Mephisto's wrath.

"I will never let you have it Mephisto! You are a trader to our kind! You work for the very Exorcists that want to kill us all!" In response to being called a trader, Mephisto released another onslaught of flames.

"You don't have any manners at all do you? You and that host body of yours will burn! All the way back to Gehenna! EINS! ZWEI! DREI!" When a tremendous amount of effort, Mephisto allowed flames to burst out all through the alleyway. There was nowhere Astaroth could run or hide to evade the flames. He and his body were burnt beyond all recognition. All that remained in the alley was a pile of ashes, the Kurikara sword, and scorch marks on the walls of the nearby building. Mephisto sighed and said to himself,

"Now I'm going to have to be a lot more careful. Satan won't be so forgiving of my actions today…." He scooped up the Kurikara sword with his spare hand and proceeded out of the alleyway. As he went he made his umbrella disappear and in place of it had his cell phone. he was about to notify Fujimoto about the sword, but then decided against it. He could do so much more with sword if Fujimoto didn't know he had it._ 'These next few months to come are going to be very interesting indeed!'_

**AN: Thank you all for reading! Please review and leave your thoughts! I would like to know what you thought I did good, bad, or OK. I'd also like to know if you want me to add or remove anything :P once again, Thank you all!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Thank you, to everyone who reviewed my previous chapters! Kazaru13, I will be sure to keep my AN at the beging and ending of my chapters, thanks for letting me know! Bending Flame, I really liked the idea of brackets, so I added those in there. Ty for the suggestions everyone! Also, somefangirl, I made sure to use Samael this time and not Mephisto :P ty for reminding me about that!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ao no Exorcist.**

_[ In the depths of Gehenna, Satan's Throne Room ]_

Rin thought he would be petrified to the spot. He had come up with a million scenarios of how this moment would turn out during his trip. However, when Sebastian threw the doors open Rin was shocked rather than terrified. In each of Rin's scenarios he imagined Satan to be a huge, menacing demon who could crush him with only his bare foot. However, it never crossed Rin's mind once that Satan could be a humanoid demon._ 'He looks…. like a human...'_ thought Rin. Rin noticed that his 'Father' had features very similar to his. The same dark blue hair, same electrifying blue eyes, and above all else, the same flames. Rin, in his imagination, thought Satan would be completely covered in his flames, however this was not the case. The only flames on Satan, that Rin could see, were his horns. Rin wondered briefly if the horns we made of flames, or just covered in them, but quickly dismissed the idea; It didn't matter. Rin continued down the room, drawing closer and closer to Satan, but as he came closer, he couldn't help to feel more and more relaxed. When he finally, made it up to Satan he bowed, as Sebastian had told him too. He looked up, staring straight into Satan's eyes and said,

"Hello, Satan." Satan seemed to be amused by Rin's manners. However, that didn't last long when he corrected Rin,

"That's Lord Satan, or, if you'd prefer, you can call me Father." His voice suddenly turned stern, making the point clear to Rin, that he should do as Satan says. Rin clenched his fists in anger; He didn't like to be told what to do.

"My deepest apologies," responded Rin, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

"Don't let it happen again, Rin." Rin nodded. He was a little surprised that Satan knew his name, but figured it should have been expected.

"So, now what?" asked Rin. "You have me, and you went through so much trouble to get me here. What do you want with me, sir?" He added on the 'sir' for good measure. Satan was a little annoyed by his son's attitude, but he let it slide.

"All in due time," responded Satan. "However, for now, I want to show you your room. You seem tired after your long journey here. Tomorrow I want to show you the castle. You are going to be living here for the next couple eternities after all." Rin may not have shown it, but he was suddenly filled with dread. He never grasped the reality that he may never leave this place. He may never even get to see his family again... Satan rose from his throne and gestured for Rin to follow him. "Lets start with your bedroom," sad Satan. The two exited Satan's throne room and headed down the Grand Hall. They walked in silence until Rin spoke up.

"Hey, Lord Satan," he said, making sure to put in the 'Lord' for fear of being reprimanded. "these… um flames…. what ARE they? I mean, all of this is really new to me….." Rin felt really awkward asking Satan a question, because he had basically kidnapped him. Satan chuckled at Rins question. "Hey! What are you laughing at?!" asked Rin, with a little anger.

"Oh nothing. Anyway, like I said, all in due time. I will teach you all you need to know about Gehenna and its inhabitants. Well, I might not be the one to teach you it, but you will be taught nonetheless. But, for now just rest. Your 'classes' in demonology will begin, mostly likely, the day after tomorrow." Satan stopped walking down the Grand Hall, five doors away from his throne room. "This will be your bedroom while you stay here." he said, as he opened the door. Rin was NOT expecting what he saw. The room's floor was hard wood, the walls were painted a nice sky blue, and the room was filled with expensive looking furniture. There was also a door connected to Rin's room. He had briefly wondered what has behind it, but decided he could explore after Satan left.

"Wow. I never imagined a room such as this to be in Gehenna….. This looks like it was pulled directly from some rich person's home." Rin walked over to the bed, which had blood red covers. He sat down on it and noticed how nice and soft it was. "This room is awesome," he said, looking to Satan, "Tha.. Thanks…" Satan was a little shocked, but concealed it very well.

"Once again, your education in all things demon will begin in a few days. Get some rest." He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him._ 'Maybe I won't have to posses him… It would be much less tiring to just have him give in to him demon side….'_ thought Satan. _'But why did he say Thanks? Is he literally an idiot? Did he forget that I just practically kidnapped him? Or is he actually becoming more of a demon by the second?'_ Satan shrugged off the idea, feeling that it would've pointless to pursue the matter._ 'I just have to make sure that he becomes obedient. Nothing else matters right now.'_ Satan continued to formulate his plans as he walked back to his throne room.

_[ In Assiah, a hospital ]_

For the second time that day, Yukio awoke in pain. However, this time, instead of being on a hard, cold stone floor, he was in a comfortable hospital bed. Yukio sat up and looked around the room. It had plain white walls and a wooden door. The door had a small little window to through into the hall. Out in the hall Yukio could see the fat priest who picked him up from the Monastery. He seemed to be talking to a nurse. He tried to call out to him, but all that came out was a groan. Yukio sat there for awhile just watching the priest talk to the nurse, until he entered the room.

"Oh, you woke up. Thats good. The doctors say you have a slight concussion along with a fractured rib. They said to take it easy for a few days and avoid any unnecessary physical activity." Yukio grunted in response. "Anyway, I got in touch with your father. He told me to take you to the warehouse as soon as possible. Are you able to stand?" asked the priest. Yukio didn't respond, he just laid back down. The priest took that as a no. "That's ok then. Just rest up ok? Father Fujimoto said he has something planned to get in contact with Rin. However, he needs you because hes currently incapacitated." Yukio nodded, acknowledging what the priest had told him._ 'What does father have planned?'_ thought Yukio. "Anyway, I have to go pick up some holy water for Father Fujimoto, but I will be back later. If you feel rested up enough, use this key to get to the warehouse." The priest placed a key on nightstand next to Yukio's bed. "See you later Yukio." said the priest. He waved to Yukio, then headed for the door. He pulled out a different key and stuck it into the lock, turning it. Yukio got a glimpse of the supply shop through the open door. For some reason he couldn't help but to think,_ 'I wonder how Sheimi is doing….'_ Yukio was ripped out of his thoughts by the sound of the door shutting. He sat there for a long time trying not to cry. How had his life go to hell in such a short span of time? His brother was gone, his father nearly died, and his house had come crashing down. Yukio couldn't help but feel that this was all karma for not telling Rin about who he was sooner.

_[ Roughly 2 Hours Later ]_

Yukio had done it! He was trying to stand up for the better part of 20 minutes, but was constantly stopped by his lack of energy. However, after repeated attempts, he had been able to stand._ 'How long does it take to get holy water? Its been two hours!'_ thought Yukio. He grabbed the key that the priest left for him and slowly made his way towards the door. _'The nurses will probably be a little weirded out when they find out I have disappeared, but I don't have time to deal with them.'_ He inserted the key into the doors lock and opened the door. He slowly shuffled into the warehouse closing the door behind him. The place seemed empty._ 'Where is everyone?'_ Yukio continued to walk around searching the few rooms that the warehouse had, but they were all empty.

"Long time no see, eh Four-eyes?" Yukio froze. He knew that voice…. oh boy here we go again. He turned around and stared at the flaming red haired girl.

"Shura!? W-What are YOU doing here?" asked Yukio fairly surprised.

"Your dad asked me to come here. Seems like you lot were attacked by a demon king.

"Yea, by Astaroth. By the way where is everyone? I was told to come here as soon as I could stand, but nobody, not even my father, is here."

"The others had to take 'em to the hospital again, he started coughing up blood. You just seem 'em, actually."

"I see. What happened to him?

"I don't know! Do I LOOK like a doctor?"

"No I guess not. So what did my dad ask of you?" asked Yukio, trying to figure out his father's plans.

"I'm just 'ere to escort you to True Cross Academy. We have to go pick up your dad's familiar. Kuro was it?" responded Shura.

"Why didn't one of the four priests get Kuro?"

"Apparently, Kuro doesn't know any of 'em and most likely listen to 'em, but he knows you right? So he trust you if you tell 'em that your father need him."

"That makes sense. All right, let's get going then. Do you have a key?" Shura went to pull out her key ring then realize she had forgotten it.

"Sorry four-eyes," she said, "I don't got mine." Yukio was fairly surprised by this. Exorcists were to keep their keys on them at all times.

"What!? Where are they?"

"Probably at my apartment?"

"Wait, how did you get here without your keys?"

"That fat priest swung by my house and picked me up. We used his key."

"Oh, I see." _ 'So that's what he was doing for the past two hours. Shura does live pretty far into the city.'_ "Well, lets go get a ride. We should get Kuro asap."

"Alright." The two of them left the warehouse in search of some form of ride to True Cross Academy. _'Ugh…. True Cross is three hours away…. This is going to be one boring car ride.'_

_[ Down in the depths of Gehenna, Satan's Throne Room ]_

Satan was reclining in his throne, thinking about his plans when suddenly his son, Astaroth burst through the doors. Satan was fairly surprised._ 'How did he get back into Gehenna without a Gate? Don't tell me….'_ he thought.

"Astaroth," he said, with a little anger behind his voice, "how have you returned to Gehenna?"

"Father…. I have failed you…" Satan sighed, trying to relieve his anger, but failing.

"What happened? Where is the sword you told me about?" Astaroth looked down, feeling guilty.

"It was…. It was taken by Samael! He cornered me and burned my host to ashe. I wasn't able to repossess anyone because my energy is diminished." Satan grunted at his son's failure. However, he was also enraged at his other son's actions.

"If thats how you want to play Samael, so be it. Sebastian!"

"Yes, your highness," responded the demon beside Satan.

"Tend to my son here; He's going to need a lot of rest before he is able to go back to Assiah."

"As you wish." he said with a bow. Sebastian led Astaroth out of Satan's throne room and down to an infirmary._ 'Samael, what are you playing at? Damn you son…. I'm going to need someone to extract that sword from him. And I know just the person….'_ Satan got up from his throne and exited the room, heading towards his bedroom chamber._ 'It's going to take time to prepare him, but I'm sure that he will be ready within a month or two. I can't wait to see how this game of yours is going to turn out, Samael.'_

_[ Down in depths of Gehenna, Rin's Bedroom ]_

In the short time Rin was there, he had explored his bedroom. The dressers were filled with clothes that seemed a little gothic, but Rin was ok with that. He went through the door he had found earlier, and discovered it was a bathroom with fully operating shower._ 'Now I'm really impressed. This place is like a fancy hotel!'_ thought Rin. He had also found a few spare sets of sheets and linens for the bed in the bathroom closet. After exploring his new living quarters, he decided to take a shower and go to bed, because he really was tired. After his shower, Rin got into bed, turned off the lights and was about to fall asleep when he heard voices coming from the hall.

"Dammit Sebastian! I can walk on my own!" yelled an angry voice.

"No you can't, Astaroth. You're still very tired! Please allow me to assist you."

_'Astaroth!? That didn't sound like him at all! He sounds completely different!'_ thought Rin.

"Get your hands off of me!"

"Sir, your body is not ready for you to exert yourself! Please allow me to-"

"I said don't touch me!" Rin could hear somebody hit the floor. He presumed it to be Sebastian. Things were escalating quickly, so Rin jumped out of bed and ripped open the door.

"What's going on out here?" asked Rin sternly as he surveyed the scene. Sebastian was on the ground clutching his arm in pain, while Astaroth was standing over him about to throw another punch._ 'Wow,'_ thought Rin. _'He even LOOKS different. I guess it was because he was possessing Shiratori at the time.'_ Astaroth growled at Rin,

"This doesn't concern you young prince! Just stay back as I teach this demon a lesson." Astaroth threw punch after punch each on connecting with Sebastian's face.

"Stop it! You're hurting him!" yelled Rin, as he ran to tackle Astaroth. However, Astaroth easily swung at Rin, knocking him away.

"I told you to stay out of this! This demon is a low life! AND he tried to 'help' me! As if I, Astaroth, need anybodys help!" retorted Astaroth, using air quotes around the word 'help'. Astroth continued to pumble Sebastian; Kicking, punching and shoving him. Rin couldn't take it anymore, seeing someone, demon or human, being pushed around like that.

"I. SAID. STOP!" screamed Rin as he burst into flames, once again lunging for Astaroth. This time, his attack connected, taking them both down onto the ground. Rin was easily able to get on top of Astaroth's chest. Rin began to repeatedly punch HIM in the face. "Let's see how you like it! You Asshole!" Not only did Rin's punches hurt like hell, but his blue flames singed Astaroth's very being. Astroth couldn't help but to scream out in pain, but Rin didn't seem to let up. Astaroth's screams could be heard throughout the entire Grand Hall. Too bad for him, the only ones in the hall were the three of them. After a minute or so, Sebastian could see that Rin wasn't planning on stopping.

"Rin! Calm down! You're going to kill him!" yelled Sebastian.

"Why does that matter? He tried to hurt you! And you didn't nothing wrong! He deserves to die!" replied Rin, not even letting up on his assault. Meanwhile, Astaroth was screaming his head off. Sebastian rose quickly to his feet and put his hand on Rin's shoulder.

"Rin," he said in a calm, stern voice, "stop this." And Rin did stop. He looked down at his hands, covered in flames and blood. He looked down at Astaroth, who had passed out, and sighed. Rin got up off of Astaroth and crossed the hall back to his room.

"Don't let him push you around like that Sebastian."

"Young prince, I think you underestimate me." replied the hurt Sebastian. Sebastian lifted the unconscious Astaroth into his arms and started to carry him away.

"Hey!" Rin called after him, "stop calling me young prince! Just call me Rin."

"Ok then. Thank you for your help, Rin." Rin, having calmed down, watched as his flames died down. He also watched as Sebastian carried Astaroth into one of the many rooms in the Grand Hall. Rin sighed; He was still dead tired. He quickly washed off the blood from his hands and changed into a pair of clean pajamas. Afterwards he climbed into bed and sank into a deep sleep.

_[ In Assiah, True Cross Academy ]_

After a painfully dull and silent car ride, Shura and Yukio arrived at the front gate of True Cross Academy, where Kuro stayed as a protector of the town. Yukio led Shura to Kuro's usual post, but he wasn't there. Puzzled by Yukio's confused look, Shura spoke up.

"What's wrong four-eyes?"

"This is Kuro's post. This is where he stays practically 24 hours a day."

"Well that cat sidhe isn't here. Where else could it be?" Yukio slumped his shoulders and gave a small depressed look.

"I have no idea…"

"Well this is just great! Now were on a wild cat chase!"

"Here, let's go ask one of the guards on active duty. Maybe they will know." The two walked over to the guards post. It was basically just a small room with a window so that they could hand tickets or receive money from vehicles entering or leaving the city. Yukio knocked on the door and was surprised when nobody answered. After knocking a few more time, he opened the door to find nobody inside. "This isn't good," Yukio said, "There are always guards on duty." Yukio pulled out his pistols while Shura pulled out her sword. They exited the room cautiously, looking for evidence of the missing guards. Eventually, they found someone.

"Hey! You two! You're a little late! The demon has already been taken care of!" said an injured guard, who was leaning up against the inside of the tunnel. The two of them ran over to the guard and Yukio began to treat his wounds.

"What happened? Where are the other guards? And Kuro?" asking Yukio as he patched up the guard.

"Well, a high-class humanoid demon launched an attack on this gate. There were no casualties, however, mostly everyone was injured. Kuro and the other guards were taken by Exorcists to the hospital, but I didn't have enough energy to scream for help, and nobody saw me, so hey left me here all alone. Not like it mattered though, It's not like I'm hurt bad enough to die or anything. Just need some rest."

"Sir, I hate to break it to ya, but it looks like ya arm and leg are broken," said Shura.

"Whatever, lady. Anyway, would you mind helping me out? I need to get to a hospital."

"Sure thing," replied Yukio. Shura and Yukio helped up the injured guard and began to carry him away when a small van came up with some replacement guards. They noticed the trio immediately and helped them into the car. The driver of the vehicle was thankful to Shura and Yukio for helping his associate out. Now on there way to the hospital, Yukio asked the driver,

"So what exactly happened? I heard there was an attack by a humanoid demon."

"Yes, there was. It was a strong one too. We don't know if it was a demon king or a half-breed, but whatever it was, it gave Kuro a run for his money." responded the guard.

"Oh yea! That's why were here actually, we need to bring Kuro back to the Paladin. He needs him urgently."

"I'm not sure if Kuro will be much help to Fujimoto in his current state, sadly. He was beaten pretty badly."

"Still, if he's injured we will look after him, we just need him, badly." The driver gave Yukio a look of suspicion, but didn't ask him anything.

"Alright then, I'll take you over to see Kuro."

"Thank you very much," replied Yukio. After a short drive they arrived at the hospital. They quickly got the injured man inside and made sure the nurses would take good care of him. Afterwards, the driver, who had apparently been an Exorcists, used a key to take them to the Exorcist Infirmary. Once inside, he led the two down a series of hall until they reached room #231.

"Kuro's right inside here." He said.

"Aren't you gonna come inside?" asked Shura.

"Nah," replied the man, "I have work to do, and I don't want the room to feel crowded. Anyway, thanks for helping my friend earlier. See ya!" The man put a key into a nearby door and stepped through, to where, Shura and Yukio didn't know. The two of them proceeded into Kuro's room. The sight shocked both of them. Fujimoto's cat sidhe was laying in a cat bed, covered in blood. There was an IV line connceted to him and was probably supplying him with blood. His paws were cut up badly and his head was wrapped in bandages. Yukio was flabbergasted.

"I've never seen Kuro in a state like this before…" said Yukio.

"Don't sweat it Yukio! Kuro here's a demon right? He should be fine by tomorrow! I will send word to Fujimoto that Kuro is injured and that we won't be returning until tomorrow or the day after. Until then, you can do what you want. Maybe say hello to that freak show Mephisto and say thanks. He IS the one keeping the incident on the down low right?"

"Yea…" said Yukio, in a small voice. Shura could tell seeing the cat in such a bad condition was hard for Yukio, and she didn't know how to cheer him up._ 'Damn, this kid's life is gettin' worse and worse….. First his brother's gone, then his father's nearly killed, after that his house falls apart, and now this cat! I gotta do everything I can to help 'em out. It's the least i can do.'_ thought Shura.

"Come on, we don't want to wake him, he needs his rest." said Shura, quietly.

"Ok…" Shura led Yukio out of the room. She didn't know where she was leading him to, but she wanted to get Yukio away from this and from his thoughts._ 'I hope he can get through this.'_

"Yukio, It'll be alright, ya know. Things WILL get better."

"Will they?" asked Yukio, in a saddened voice.

"Yes, they will."

_[ In Assiah, a Hospital ]_

Fujimoto was practically dying from the pain. He had moved too fast and too soon and one of his broken ribs had moved in an awkward position, nearly puncturing a lung. When he had started to cough up blood, the four priests rushed him to the hospital, knowing he need medical attention. Fujimoto was taken into surgery as soon as he got there. The doctor was able to push the broken bone back into its original place, but it would take even more time for it to heal now. After the surgery, they gave him some painkillers, but they had worn off. Now Fujimoto had to deal with a terrible aching pain in his chest for a few hours, until they could give him more pain meds. Fujimoto had asked the other four priests to return to the warehouse where they would be safe, but they remained with him. One in his room, the others in the waiting room. The one that was in his room asked,

"Father Fujimoto, what should we do now? Things have certainly gotten hectic haven't they?"

"Yes they have. First off, we will need to recuperate our strength. After that, we can put my plan into action."

"How long will we wait?" asked the priest. He was very anxious and worried about Rin. Father Fujimoto could see the priest's worry on his face.

"Don't worry, Rin will be fine," said Fujimoto, "I can tell you are scared, but don't be. We all know how Rin is. There is not a doubt in my mind that he will be fine."

"Right…" replied the priest, not convinced at all.

"Anyway, as for your prior question, we will wait until everyone's injuries have healed, including mine. However, we don't need to wait to set up a connection with Rin. We can do that as soon as Yukio brings Kuro back."

"A connection..?" asked the priest, very confused.

"Yes. Kuro is a very special demon. Having lived for a hundred years, he has learned to pass between Gehenna and Assiah, but only in spirit. He can be our messenger to and from Rin."

"That's brilliant Father Fujimoto! But wait, why do we need Kuro? Couldn't any tamer class, like myself, be able to set up communications between worlds?"

"Not necessarily. When you summon your familiars, they gain physical form from your energy. But once released back to Gehenna, they no longer take energy from you, therefore no longer obey you. They may or may not do as we ask. Whereas Kuro, whose body is here in Assiah and who has his own energy, will be better fit for the job. It also helps that Kuro is very loyal to me, and I highly doubt he'd go against me."

"I see." replied the priest. Suddenly one of the other priests burst through the door.

"Father Fujimoto. I just got word from Shura. She and Yukio had gone to retrieve Kuro as you asked, but a demon attacked the academy before hand. Nobody died in the attack, but many were injured including Kuro. They say he won't be healthy enough to bring back to the warehouse for a day or two."

"Dammit. Well waiting a few days won't hurt. Thank you very much for telling me. Now I need to rest. You may stay if you wish, but promise me you four will return to the warehouse at nightfall."

"We will, Father." responded the priest by the door.

"Thank you." Fujimoto rested his head back onto the pillow and relaxed, letting unconsciousness take him.

**AN: Thank you all for reading! Once again please review and let me know what you liked, didn't like, etc. ALSO, I need somebody's help! I have never used this site before and was wondering if there is a way to edit pre-existing materials. I want to add a disclaimer to my previous chapters, but am not sure how to. I figured out one way to do it, but it involves deleting and re-posting the whole chapter, which I'm not going to do. So, if you know how to, PM me please. THANKS!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed my previous chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ao no Exorcist**

_[ Down in the depths of Gehenna, The 'Class' room ]_

Rin spent his days lounging around and sleeping, for the most part. But, two days after he arrived, he had found a note on his door. It read, _'Rin, please make your way down the Grand Hall and to room 666. It's where you will be taught. -Satan'_ So, Rin showered and got dressed and entered the Grand Hall. It was a shock to Rin to see so many demons walking around, but he wasn't phased by them, mainly because they were all humanoids. He continued down the hall looking for room 666, but he couldn't find it. It seemed that NONE of the doors even HAD numbers. Reluctantly he went up to a passing demon and asked them,

"Hey, sorry to interupt, but where is room 666?" The demon he had asked was a female, dressed in a maid uniform. She was a little shorter than Rin and seemed to be around his age too.

"Uh…. Uh… I.. umm…" The demon couldn't seem to form her words._ 'She looks REALLY nervous,'_ though Rin._ 'Satan must really instil fear into people.'_

"It's ok if you don't know. I'll just go ask someone else." Rin said, as he turned to walk away. However the maid called after him,

"Wait! Your Highness! I know where it is! I can show you." Rin turned back to her, a little uncomfortably. He still didn't like it when people called him_ 'Young Prince'_ or_ 'Your Highness'._

"Ok, then where is it?"

"I'll show you, follow me, Your Highness." Rin followed behind her as she led him to an unmarked door in the Grand Hall. "Here we are, room 666."

"But this door doesn't even have a number." replied Rin.

"Your Highness, most of the doors here don't HAVE numbers."

"Oh.."

"Anyway, I must be going…." she said, walking away. Rin opened the door, which led into a small room with books lining the walls. There was a chalkboard in the front and a single desk in the middle._ 'It looks like a classroom.'_ thought Rin. Near the front of the room, by the chalkboard, was a demon Rin had never seen before. He was tall and slender, with menacing looking eyes.

"Please, take your seat." he commanded in a deep voice. Rin obediently took his seat and stared at the demon. "My name is Cogidubinus, but you may refer to me as Cog." Rin nodded at Cog, acknowledging him.

"You probably already know my name, but I'm Rin."

"Yes, I know, Your Highness."_ 'Great… another one who calls me 'Your Highness,'_ thought Rin. "Do you have any main questions before we begin with your basic lessons?"

"Actually I do. I walked up to a random demon here, and they seemed to know that I was Satan's son, even though we never met. How did they do that?" Cog sighed, as if that was the easiest question to answer in the entire world.

"Demon's are born and trained to sense other demons. Each demon gives of their own aura, for lack of a better term, and yours is exceptionally strong and VERY similar to your father's. Only a dumbass wouldn't know that your Satan's son."

"Oh….. How does one sense other demons?"

"That's why you're here, to learn such things."

"Ok… that's all, thank you." Cog grunted at Rin's thank you, and turned to the board.

"Now let's start with the basics…."

_[ In Assiah, The Warehouse / A Hospital ]_

After Kuro had healed, Yukio and Shura returned to warehouse. Fujimoto had decided to stay at the hospital rather than the warehouse, for fear of hurting himself again. However, the other four priests were still at the warehouse. Kuro, who had made a full and speedy recovery was jumping all over the place, wanting to see Fujimoto.

"So hes still at the hospital?" asked Yukio.

"Yea, he asked us to return here before nightfall, so that we could remain safe." replied the fat priest.

"But what about him!? He's not save there!"

"Calm down Yukio! We set up a very strong spiritual barrier in his room. No demon is gonna get in there for a long time." said another priest.

"Fine….. However, my father still wanted to see Kuro. Can one of you take me to him?"

"Sure thing!" said the fat priest. After a short drive, the priest, Shura, and Yukio arrived at the hospital with Kuro. They three of them snuck into the hospital, mainly because visiting hours were over, and made their way to Fujimoto's room. When they entered his room, Kuro lept out of Yukio's arms and onto Fujimoto's bed. He instantly started licking his master's face.

"Ahh! Yukio! Thank you for bringing Kuro to me. I really needed him." Yukio couldn't stand to look his father in the eye. He was still ashamed of losing the Kurikara sword. Fujimoto, noticing his son's gloomy mood, asked, "Yukio, what's the matter?"

"I… I lost.. the Kurikara sword….." Father Fujimoto had already known he had lost the sword. He had known since the priest picked him up from the monastery. If Yukio had had the sword, the priest would have brought it to him immediately.

"Don't worry Yukio, there is still a chance the sword hasn't been drawn. We can still save him." Yukio was still very depressed, but responded,

"Yea… okay.."

"Anyhow! Now we can finally get this show on the road! Kuro! I need to ask a favor of you." At hearing his name Kuro looked up at his master. "I want you to enter Gehenna in your spirit form and try to make contact with my other son Rin. He should be easy to find. Here's his picture." Fujimoto had pulled a picture out of his wallet, that was on the nightstand, and showed it to his familiar. The familiar meowed its_ 'okays'_ and curled up into a ball, looking like he fell asleep. "It shouldn't be long now. Kuro should be able to find Rin and tell him we are working on a way to bring him home. All we can do now, is wait." And so the four of them all waited. It took roughly 2 hours, but suddenly Kuro jumped up, as if awakened from a nightmare. The cat sidhe seemed to visible frown and instantly Fujimoto knew he hadn't reached Rin.

"What happened?" asked Shura, "Did 'e find Rin?"

"No, he didn't. I don't know the specifics, but its clear that Kuro wasn't able to get to Rin."

"So now what?" asked Yukio.

"We'll just have to wait until I'm all healed up. Then we can go about searching for Rin."

"Okay…. Well we'll leave you to get you rest, Dad. Come on let's go." Yukio led the other two out of the room, leaving Kuro behind with his master.

_[ Down in the depths of Gehenna, The Grand Hall ]_

Rin had finished his _'classes'_, if you could call them that, for the day and was fascinated by all that he learned. Although Rin wasn't one for studying or learning, the things he learned here in Gehenna were a whole nother story. He was happy to learn he would be attending his _'classes'_ every day until all he need to be taught was taught. Now, with his classes complete, was making his way back to his room when he heard some yelling. It appeared to be Satan yelling at some demon maid. Rin instantly recognized the girl who had helped him with direction from earlier, being yelled at by Satan. Rin rushed towards the yelling to more accurately hear what Satan was saying.

"You worthless piece of trash!" He roared. "How dare you mess with my personal items!" Satan kicked the demon girl so hard that she went flying into the wall. She slumped down to the ground, but Rin could see she was still breathing. Satan began to walk over to her, undoubtedly to kill her. But Rin wasn't going to stand by and let that happen. He rushed through the hall, putting himself in between Satan and demon girl. "Rin, move. I have some business to attend to and it does not concern you."

"NO! You're going to kill her aren't you? I'm not going to stand idly by and watch that happen!" Satan grunted.

"You dare defy me!? HA! So be it!" Rin was picked up the scruff of his shirt, much like a kitten would be picked up the scruff of its neck. Rin tried to struggle from Satan's grip, by kicking, punching, and thrashing at Satan's arm, but it was no use. His attacks didn't seem to even phase Satan. "You ARE going to stand idly by, my foolish son. Now watch as I teach you what I do to trash around here." Satan extended his other hand, which was now covered in flames. He touched one finger to the head of the demon girl and she was set ablaze. Rin tried to scream for him to stop, but Satan only laughed. "This is how things are around here Rin." Rin watched helplessly as the girl burned. All that was left was a pile of ashes. Rin turned his gaze to his father.

"You asshole! Why did you have to do that!?" yelled Rin.

"Hm, it seems you manners aren't the best my son. Hugo!" yelled Satan. Suddenly a great wind rushed through the halls and a man appeared in front of Satan, bowing.

"Yes my Lord?" he asked.

"Take my son here to the Dungeon. I will be around to teach him some manners."

"As you wish." Satan tossed his son to_ 'Hugo'_, as he called him, and he whisked Rin away with a rush of air._ 'He's going to be sorry for not listening to me.'_ thought Satan.

_[ Down in the depths of Gehenna, The Dungeon ]_

On moment Rin was in the Grand Hall, but a second later he was in some dark, barely lit room. It was cold and dank and wasn't very pleasant. Rin tried to struggle from Hugo's grip, but Hugo was a lot stronger than he looked. He carried Rin over to a metal table that had leather straps to restrain his arms and legs. It reminded Rin of an executioner's table. Rin was slammed down onto the table, and restrained.

"Let me go!" yelled Rin, as he tried to struggle against his bindings.

"Sorry, Young Prince, but these are Lord Satan's orders." The demon, after double checking all the restraints, left the room without another word. Rin didn't know how long he had been there, when Satan entered.

"Hello, my son. How are you doing?" Satan asked with deep sarcasm.

"The hell is all this for?" asked Rin, trying to release himself from his bonds.

"When you first arrived here, I'm pretty sure I told you not to disobey me. And if I didn't, it was implied. Today you didn't listen to me. You tried to save that stupid maid. And now, you're going to pay the price for you insubordination." Satan ripped off Rin shirt to get at his chest. He sliced the skin to pieces all across Rin's chest. Rin couldn't help but to scream out in immense pain. He repeatedly clawed at Rin's chests leaving huge gashes with his sharp, piercing nails. After a while, Satan thought his son's chest had suffered enough damage, so he moved on.

"Now lets move onto your legs," Satan said in a calm voice, as if he weren't torturing his son. Satan pulled out a sharp knife-like object he had been concealing in his jacket pocket. He sliced off several different parts of Rin's legs, causing Rin to go into another screaming fit. He did everything he could to be released from his bonds, but Rin couldn't escape. All he could do was accept his punishment. Satan let up a little, so that his son could catch his breath.

"Pl-please…. Stop… I-I'm So-Sorry…" Rin said, between his gasps for air.

"But if I stop, how will I know you won't do it again? No, I have to finish what I have started." Satan continued, moving on to his son's arms. Cutting into them and slicing them. Rin couldn't take the unbearable pain and was constantly struggling to get out, but failed. He was trapped. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of pain, Satan stopped. Rin was gasping for air and trying his best not to cry.

"NEVER, go against me again Rin. You will do everything as I say, or you will be brought back here. And you don't want that do you?" Rin couldn't form words. He was too busy gasping for air. He just shook his head in response. "Well, I will let you rest. I will have Hugo come to bring you out in an hour or so." Satan left the dark room, leaving Rin alone. Rin finally allowed the tears to come. He laid there for awhile just crying, then thought to himself, _'Is this how life is going to be? I don't know what to do… I wish I could just go home….'_ However, at the same time, Rin didn't WANT to go home. His_ 'family'_ had hid everything from him and condemned him to this fate. He wasn't sure if he could trust anyone anymore. He knew he had to do as Satan said or he may kill him, so he decided to do that. He decided he would listen to Satan out of necessity for survival, not out of choice. Too bad for Rin though. That decision may cost him his humanity.

**[ 5 months later ]**

_[ Overview of Gehenna, past 5 months ]_

Rin had continued to attend his 'classes' in Gehenna and had learned everything there was to know about demons and humans and their interactions. He was also taught to wield a weapon. He was at first learning to use a mace, but had asked if he could use a sword instead. Seeing no problem with this, Satan allowed him to do so. He had also begun doing small tasks for Satan, ones that Rin believed to be used to test his obedience. He, although may not have wanted to do it, blindly carried out Satan's tasks. However, the tasks were usually kill this or kill that, or destroy this or destroy that. Rin never really understood WHY he had to, but he had eventually started to ENJOY the things Satan asked him to. Also, after about 4 months of living in Gehenna, Rin had started to give into his demon side. Along with enjoying the tasks Satan asked him to do, he also started bossing around the demons who worked at the castle. Some, who had not done what he asked, were killed by his hand. This pleased Satan to no end. Also, Rin never consciously realized it, but he started to refer to Satan as 'Father'. Rin had also stopped obeying his father out of necessity, he started doing it because thats what felt right to him. Another thing that had happened to Rin was his development of hate towards humans. He never forgave his 'family' for abandoning him, but not like it mattered anymore. Gehenna was his new home, and Satan his new Father. He had become the true Prince of Gehenna. The one his Father also wanted him to be. The only thing stopping Rin from reaching his full potential was the Kurikara sword. Satan, now having Rin under his complete and absolute control, set his plan in motion.

_[ Overview of Assiah, past 5 months ]_

Yukio had started to delve into any and all research that the Knights of the True Cross had in Satan and his Gehenna Gate, trying to figure out a way to save him brother. During this time, he had uncovered pretty much nothing about Gehenna Gate due to the minimal knowledge on the subject. Kuro, meanwhile, tried everyday to establish contact with Rin, but each timed failed. Fujimoto, sadly couldn't do anything to help because his ribs hadn't healed. But, after 2 whole months of bed rest Fujimoto was back in action. He had put in place his 'plan' which took roughly two months to assemble, but it failed. Fujimoto had been in a slump ever since. He wished that he was quick enough that day in the alley. He wished he had jumped in after Rin. However, on the bright side, the monastery had been repaired and the six of them moved out of the warehouse and bacj into the monastery. This didn't do anything to improve Yukio's mood though. Yukio was very depressed and had stopped showing any emotions. He wasn't coping very well with the lose of his brother and having no hopes of bringing him back crushed him even more. Along with that, he was supposed to start teaching a class at the exorcist cram school and he wasn't sure if he could go and do it. Little did Yukio now that his whole life would be turned upside down on the first day of cram school.

_[ Down in the depths of Gehenna, Satan's Throne Room ]_

"Hugo!" yelled Satan, and instantly the demon appeared.

"Yes, My Lord?"

"Retrieve my son, please. I have a very special mission for him."

"As you wish," the demon replied with a bow. The demon disappeared and reappeared with Rin by his side. Instantly, Rin bowed and said,

"You requested my presence, Father?"

"Thank you Hugo, you may go," the demon bowed again and disappeared. "Yes Rin, I did. I have a very important task for you to complete today."

"What it is?" asked Rin, eager to complete said task.

"You will be heading to Assiah today and retrieving a sword." Rin was shocked, he had never thought he would return to the world of Assiah, nor did he exactly WANT to.

"What is so special about this sword, father?" he asked, curiously.

"I will tell you when you return with it. However, this is NOT going to be an easy or short task. Your brother, Samael has the sword in his possession, and YOU need to get it from him."

"Seems easy enough."

"There's more. You can't allow anyone to know your my son. You must act as if you are still a human, and have no knowledge of the two worlds. Pretend you have amnesia if you want." Rin was puzzled.

"May I ask why? Wouldn't it be simpler to just kill all of them and retrieve the sword?"

"Sadly, we can't do that. Samael works for the Exorcists now. If he realizes you're WORKING for me then he may just kill you. You're currently not at your full potential, so in a battle Samael would probably crush you. Therefore, you must sneak in their, befriend the humans if you must, and retrieve that sword."

"As you wish," said Rin with a bow.

"Also, Rin. you will most likely encounter your old family members. Do you best to act like you care for them, otherwise it wouldn't be convincing."

"Yes, Father." Satan sliced his arm open letting blood drip from it. It swirled on the ground in front of him forming a Gehenna Gate.

"Leave your sword here. You weren't trained to use on before you were here, it would be a dead give away. Also, I'm going to knock you unconscious to try make it move convincing. Alright, good luck, Son." Satan, after the Gehenna Gate finished forming punched Rin hard over the head. Rin's body slumped into his Father's arms. Satan then proceeded to throw Rin into the Gate. Satan couldn't help but laugh. 'Samael, the tables are about to be turned on this game of yours.'

_[ In Assiah, The Cram School ]_

"So as I was saying, this girl was SMOKING hot! She was- wait whos that?" The voice started to wake Rin from his unconscious state. A boy with pink hair was crouching down by him, their faces too close for Rin's liking. Rin groaned and slowly sat up. "Who are you?" asked the boy asked.

"What? Oh.. My name's Rin. How did I get here? WHERE is here?"

"I'm not sure, but are you ok? You look a little hurt."

"No, I'm fine, just some bruises."

"Oh, well that's good," said a different voice. It belong to another boy, this one was bald. "As to where you are, you're at the Exorcist Cram School. This is the courtyard." Rin looked around. He noticed he was outside in a lush, grassy area. There was a fountain in the middle of the place. Rin was leaning against a brick wall. _'Huh... It's been a long time since I've seen grass... or the blue sky for that matter...' _Snapping back to his conversation, Rin put on his best look of confusion and said,

"Exorcist…. Cram School? What's an Exorcist?"

"What!? You don't know what an Exorcists is? Why are you here then?" asked a third voice. This one belonging to a tall guy with an unusual haircut. He had a blonde streak of hair down the middle of his normally brown hair.

"I don't know, my memory is kinda hazy…"

"Bon," said the pinked haired boy, "go find Okumura-Sensei."

"Wait a sec," said Rin. "did you just say Okumura? That's my name…." The three boys all exchanged confused glances. But the pinked haired one spoke up,

"Bon. GO!" The guy with the weird haircut, Bon, rushed off. "So, you say you name is Rin Okumura? Nice to meet ya! My name's Shima. And this is Konekomaru." said Shima, extending his hand for a hand shake.

"Nice to meet you." said Rin shaking Shima's extended hand. After a short while, Bon had returned with Yukio. Yukio stood there and looked at Rin, his brother who had been missing for five months. Yukio couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Yukio! What is this place?" asked Rin. The three students stood there a little baffled at the strangers familiarity with their teacher.

"Rin… where have you been?" asked Yukio. Rin was puzzled by the question.

"Been? I don't know…. Last thing I remember I was in a back alley with some guy and they I blacked out. Now I'm here…"

"Rin…. you've been gone for five months!" Rin's eyes widened at this.

"WHAT!?" he shouted in surprise. "That's not even possible! I remember the alley so vividly! Theres no way I blacked out for that long!"

"It doesn't matter, as long as you're save. We'll figure it out when we get home. Suguro, please tell the other's my class is canceled for today. I have to take my brother home."

"Sure thing," replied Suguro. Yukio put his hand out to Rin, to help him up and Rin excepted it._ 'Do you think he bought it?'_ Rin asked himself.

"Let's go home Rin."

"Okay…"

**AN: THANK GOD FOR SNOW DAYS! I spent the better part of 2 hours writing this because I had off today. And guess what…. I HAVE OFF TOMORROW TOO :D That being said, I still want to repeat that I need someone's help on two different subjects. One, is the whole editing documents things I said last chapter and the other is this: If anyone knows the names of the four priests that live with Fujimoto, please let me know! I hate just putting 'priest' where I could put a name! Anyway, please review and thank you for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: THANK YOU! Billie11893 has my deepest thanks! They have supplied me with the names of the four priests living at the monastery with Fujimoto! Now I can right names rather than put something like 'fat priest'! I'm so happy :D PS: If you see any italicized text, it means that it's someone thoughts, most likely Rin's. Use context clues and you'll figure out whos thoughts it is.**

_[ In Assiah, The (Re-Built) Monastery ]_

Rin was getting more and more anxious. Yukio had said they needed to drive three hours to get back home. _'UGH!_' Rin thought to himself._ 'Why can't we use one of these damn keys my father told me about. There supposed to transport you anywhere you want to go, if you have the right one…. Is he SERIOUSLY going to try and keep Exorcism a secret!? Even after all that's happened? What an ass….'_ The car ride was filled with Yukio asking questions like, "Are you ok?" "Are you SURE you don't remember anything?" "This guy you say you were in an alley with, what did he look like?" Most of Rin's answer were "No," "I don't know," or "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Eventually, Yukio gave up on his little 'interview' and he dozed off. Rin, on the other hand, was too anxious to fall asleep. He had to be ready for anything thing Fujimoto did or asked. He wasn't sure if he could keep up his charade. But he had too, Father commanded him too._ 'It will get easier the longer I'm here….. Right?'_ he tried to reassure himself. After the agonizing car ride, Yukio and Rin arrived at the monastery.

"Yukio wake up! Were here." shouted Rin. Yukio jumped awake, startled by his brother. The two exited their cab after Yukio paid the driver. Rin looked at the monastery closely, something was off…. "Hey, what happened to the monastery? It looks….. new."

"Oh, we had some minor repairs done. Just trying to make it look its best," lied Yukio. He still wasn't sure if he could tell Rin about demons and the such. It appeared to Yukio as if Rin never discovered who or what he is. "Now, be warned. Everyone inside has been worried sick about you and thought you were missing for over five months. They're bond to act differently then when you last saw them." Rin nodded in response. Yukio opened the door and the two stepped inside. "Everyone!" Yukio shouted. "Rin's back!" Suddenly, Rin could hear footsteps throughout the monastery. The first of the five priests to see Rin, was his adoptive father, Father Fujimoto. Fujimoto stood stock still, staring at his son.

"Rin…" he said. He started to walk forward, but then suddenly stopped. A sad look crossed Fujimoto's face, but was replaced by a blank stare. "Where have you been Rin?"

_'So…. He's suspicious as well… Better try to convince him as soon as possible...'_ thought Rin.

"I.. I don't know…. Yukio already told me I've been gone for five months, but I don't remember any it. Last thing I remember I was in some alleyway with this guy and his crew. They were trying to 'buy my silence'. After that I don't remember anything…. I woke up in the Exorcist's Cram School. At least that's what this guy, Konekomaru, told me."

"Konekomaru?" asked Fujimoto.

"He's one of my students," said Yukio, "He and two others found Rin, unconscious in a courtyard." Seeming to buy the story, Fujimoto rushed up to, and hugged Rin. This earned him some whining from Rin.

"Hey! Get off of me you old fart!" Fujimoto chuckled at Rin. "Stop it! You're suffocating me!" yelled Rin, finally managing to push Fujimoto off of him.

"Sorry! Sorry! You have been gone for five months! We all thought you were dead!"

"You… thought I was….. dead?"

"Yea! Five months ago you went missing! We filed police reports, put up missing posters signs, we did everything that we could!"

_'So, their still going to lie to me….. typical humans….'_ thought Rin. "But now your home! You're save now." Soon the three of them were joined by the other priests, who were all very surprised at Rin's return.

"Rin!" said the fat priest, Maruta, as he ran to give Rin a big bear hug.

"Maruta! Get off of me!" Maruta apologized and let go of Rin.

"I'm sorry, we were just all so worried…"

"Well don't be, I'm fine." said Rin.

"Well! You boys must be hungry after that car ride!" said Fujimoto. He checked his watch and said, "It's a little early, but I guess I could start dinner."

"Really? That be great, I'm starving! What are we having?" asked Rin.

"To celebrate your safe return home, I'm gonna make some Sukiyaki!" Rin's mouth instantly got watery.

"Awesome!"

_'One of the few things I actually missed about Assiah is Sukiyaki...'_

"I'm just going to run to the store real quick to pick up some ingredients, I'll be back soon!" Fujimoto quickly left the monastery. As soon as he was out of eyesight of the monastery he whipped out his phone and dialed Shura's number.

"Shura, we have a problem."

"What is it?" asked Shura.

"Rin's back." A silence crossed the two of them. Shura broke the silence by saying,

"This better not be a sick joke Shiro."

"It's not. He was found unconscious in the Exorcist Cram School. He appears to have no memory of the past five months."

"Where is he now?" asked the girl.

"At the monastery. Currently, I'm out getting groceries for dinner, I suggest you head over there."

"I'm on my way."

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

Shura used one of her keys to get to the monastery quickly, however, she didn't account for Rin to be there as she opened the door. Rin's face was filled with utter shock.

"H-How did you do that? That door leads to the supply closet… I was in there a literally a minute ago….. YUKIO!" said Rin as he backed away in mock terror._ 'This is so stupid…. Obviously it's a key, but I'm not supposed to know about that kind of stuff….. Bull Shit...'_ Yukio came bursting into the hall where Rin and Shura were.

"Dammit Shura….." said Yukio.

"You know her?" asked Rin.

"Yes I do, she works for the Knights of th-" Yukio stopped short, realizing he wasn't supposed to talk about those types of things with Rin. He still didn't know about it.

"The Knights of the what? And how'd she get in here?"

"I-I let her in! Yea, she was just looking for some…. napkins! Yea napkins for the dinner table!" said Yukio, trying to come up with a convincing lie. "Anyway, her name is Shura. Shura, this is Rin, and Rin, this is Shura."

"Nice to meet ya!" said Shura holding out her hand for a handshake. Rin took it, hesitantly and said,

"Sure…. Nice to meet you." the 'sure' was directed towards Yukio's lie, that Rin could see right through.

"Anyway, Shura is going to be joining us for dinner," said Yukio.

"Whatever," replied Rin as he walked away. After Rin had turned the corner, Shura spoke in a hushed tone to Yukio.

"How'd you know I was going to stay for dinner?"

"Lucky guess?" said Yukio.

"Oh... So, he doesn't remember anything? At all?"

"I have my doubts, but I don't know why Rin would lie about something like that."

"Maybe its amnesia? Like he's so traumatised that he can't remember."

"Maybe…. but he seems a little off…."

"Well that's why I'm here. I AM a senior inspector after all. I'll make sure that kid is telling the truth." Little did the two of them know, Rin was just around the corner, using his enhanced hearing to listen in on their conversation. _'Damn, I have to be EXTREMELY careful around her. Ugh…. This is so much work, yet at the same time, so much fun!'_

Roughly an hour later, Fujimoto had returned and the meal was ready to be served. Everyone sat down and gave their thanks. An awkward silence descended upon the room. It made Rin feel uncomfortable, so he spoke up.

"So, what the heck's an Exorcist?" This shocked many of the face at the table even though it shouldn't have. Rin DID wake up in the Exorcist Cram School after all.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Fujimoto.

"I don't know! I woke up in the friggin Exorcist Cram School. So whats an Exorcist? And why is there a school for em?" Unrest spread through everyone. Nobody want to confess it to Rin, but he had learned too much. Anything they came up wouldn't be a good enough lie. Fujimoto sighed, was the first to speak.

"I guess you were going to find out at some point."

"Find out what?"

"You see Rin, Exorcists…. Well Exorcists kill demons."

"Demons huh? And what do these 'Demons' look like?"

"I'm going to have to explain everything aren't I….. Well I guess I will then." Fujimoto explained all the basics of demons, the cram school, and Exorcists. All of which, Rin had already learned in Gehenna. However, it was a big deal because Fujimoto was FINALLY coming fourth with the 'family' secret. "And, Rin, Everyone at this table is an Exorcist." Although Rin had already known everyone here was an Exorcists, he acted like he was completely surprised.

"Wow…. even Yukio!? I guess I should've put that together, considering the guys at the Exorcist Cram School called him sensei. Wow… Wait a sec! When were you planning on telling me this!? As far as I can see I'm the ONLY one here who isn't an Exorcist."

"Well… we weren't sure how you'd handle it…" Started Yukio. However he was interrupted when Rin shouted,

"Shut up Yukio! I wasn't talking to you." Rin turned to his 'father' and said, "Old man, why didn't you tell me about this stuff before hand? Why am I the last to know?"

"I have my reasons…" responded Fujimoto.

"BULL SHIT! Why would you hide a secret so big like that!?," Fujimoto didn't reposnd, so Rin just said, "Whatever." Rin got out of his seat and left. He went outside onto the porch where he sat down pretending to take the news harshly._ 'Damn, this whole acting thing is hard!'_ However, before he could think up what he was going to do next, the red haired lady, Shura, came outside and sat next to him.

"Hey, you ok?" she asked politely.

"What's it to you?" responded Rin.

"Wow, calm down there kid. I just came to try and cheer you up."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm too pissed right now."

"Why? 'Cause you family hid something like that from you?"

"Hell yea! That's a big deal! They should have told me!"

"Did you ever stop to think for a second that they didn't tell you, because they were trying to protect you?" This caught Rin off guard. He never really HAD thought that before.

"What the hell do you know," said Rin, pretending like she wasn't making a fair point.

"Whatever kid." she got up and started to go back inside, but Rin grabbed her hand.

"Wait… Can I ask you something?" Shura was a little surprised, but she sat back down nodding. "Do you know…. if I could become an Exorcist?" Shura, got wide eyed at the young teen.

"Maybe… But let me ask you this first. Why? Out of jealousy? Out of fear? Why do you want to become an Exorcist?"

"I just… I just don't want everyone else to be the ones who have to deal with things! I want to help them too! I don't think I could live knowing things like demons exist and do nothing about them!" Shura laughed. "HEY! The hell are you laughing at!" said Rin, clenching his fists.

"I'm sorry! You just sound exactly like your brother is all… Anyway, If you really want to be an Exorcist, talk to Fujimoto 'bout it. Really it comes down to your guardian's decision."

"Ok…. Thank You, Shura." She smiled at Rin, as she went back inside. Rin sighed. _'I wonder what she thinks of me…. Anyway, time to convince the Paladin...'_

Later that night, Rin knocked on Fujimoto's office door.

"Come in."

"Hey…. Uh, Old man… I want to talk to you about something," Rin said, as he walked into his adoptive father's office.

"What is it Rin?"

"I want to become an Exorcist." His father studied Rin, making him feel uneasy.

"And why is that Rin?"

"I just don't want you and the others to do this by yourselves! I want to be able to help you guys! To help protect everyone from demons." Fujimoto looked deep into his son's eyes.

"Alright then." Rin was surprisingly shocked by this, considering his father had hid everything from him for the past 15 years.

"What!? Really!? Thanks!"

"Under ONE condition!"

"Damn, knew there would be a catch," moaned Rin.

"You are to listen to anything and everything Shura and Yukio tell you to do."

"Wait what?"

"Both of them work at the Exorcist Cram School here in Japan. They will be your teachers throughout your stay there. If either of them tells you to do something, promise me you will do it, ok?

"I promise dad!"

"Alright then. Go tell your brother. I will get in touch with the headmaster of the school and enroll you. Your first class should begin tomorrow, so pack your bags.

"Thanks dad!" Rin practically screamed as he left his dad's office.

'_That was surprisingly easy! However, I doubt that will be the end of it. I'm most likely going to be monitored 24/7, but that doesn't matter! I'm one step closer to accomplishing my task!'_

_[ In Assiah, Fujimoto's office ]_

After Rin left, Fujimoto whipped out his phone. He called Mephisto, who picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?" asked the demon.

"Mephisto, it's Fujimoto."

"Fujimoto! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I'm calling to inform you that Rin has returned. You probably already know this considering he was found on school grounds."

"Yes I do! It's very exciting don't you agree? What did you do to him? Kill him? Exorcise him? Or is he currently detained?"

"What are you going on about?!"

"What? He IS a demon after all. Didn't he go berserk?"

"Actually, he didn't. It appears that he has lost all of his memories. Anyway, we had to reveal to him the world of Exorcism. Now he wants to become an Exorcist and if I said no, he would've started asking questions, and I'm not ready to tell him who his REAL father is."

"I see… So you're calling me, why? Exactly?"

"I want to enroll him into the cram school."

"Hmmmmm, alright then. But, I'm going to have him under close surveillance by my familiars, okay? Don't want that boy causing an accident, now do we?"

"I'd actually prefer you watch him. I want to know if anything happens….. His reappearance is still a little….. unsettling….."

"Well, that's that I guess. His classes will start tomorrow. Good Bye for now Fujimoto!"

"Thank you, Good Bye."

**[ The Next Day ]**

_[ In Assiah, The Cram School ]_

Yukio had already moved into his dorm, but had to repack everything and move it to a new dorm. One that he and his brother shared. However, it wasn't just some random dorm the brothers moved into. They moved into a completely empty and unused dorm building. Apparently, Yukio had pulled some string to get the building to themselves, but Rin knew it was because they just wanted to keep him away from the general public. After Rin got all unpacked and settled in, he found an envelope on his desk. Inside was a key and a short letter._ 'This key can be used at any door, anytime. It will take you to the Exorcist Cram School, where you will train to become an Exorcist.'_ The letter never said who it was from however.

"So, Yukio. Where do I go for my classes?" Rin asked. Yukio, who was packing up his teaching equipment into a brief case, responded,

"Your first class is mine, so I will show you where to go."

"Ok. Lead the way." Yukio put a key into the door in their room. When he opened the door however, they weren't in the dorm building anymore. They had entered a long hallway with tons of doors on boths sides. '_So this is what the inside of the cram school looks like, huh...' _thought Rin.

Trying to act at least a little surprised, Rin exclaimed, "WOW! This place is HUGE." Yukio didn't respond to his brother's rambling, though, and just led him to the classroom.

"Your teachers will come and go, but you will stay in the room for the duration of your classes." said Yukio. He opened the door and led Rin inside. Rin instantly saw some faces he recognized. He noticed the three kids who had found him unconscious the other day, but he also saw three others whom he'd never met. One was in the corner all talking to his puppet, while the other two were girls. There were sitting together, chatting. One of the two girls caught his eye though. She had red eyes and purple hair that was pulled into two ponytails. _'She's pretty cute….. for a human...'_ Rin sat down at a random table, alone. He just wanted to get this over with, he had more important things to do than sit around all day.

"Hello everyone!" said Yukio. "Some of you may have met him yesterday, but we have a new student today." He pointed at Rin. "This is Rin Okumura, my brother. As of today, he will be your new classmate. Now, let's get on with today's lesson…"

-  
**AN: Hey! Sorry if this chapter seemed a bit rushed. I tried to slow it down, but I have a REALLLLLLY good idea for chapter 6, so I tried to get chapter 5 out of the way A.S.A.P. Also, this chapter is also a little bit shorter than the rest and isn't very actiony. Once again, I apologize for that! I just needed to get Rin into the Exorcist Cram School and, although a little rushed, this was the best way I could think to do that. Anyway, I hope you still liked it!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I really hate this sometimes. I write my chapters (roughly 4,000 words each) and copy and paste it over onto this website. However, anything I bolded underlined or italicized, just becomes normal text. So i have to go back through the WHOLE thing re-doing ALL of that D: oh wells... :P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ao no Exorcist.**

_[ In Assiah, The Cram School ]_

Frankly, Rin was bored for most of the classes. He had already learned most of the stuff the teachers were lecturing, so he didn't feel a need to pay attention. He constantly took naps throughout the day, because none he classes entertained him. However, he was rudely awakened by the girl with purple hair.

"HEY!" she yelled into his ear, "Wake up! Class is over."

"Oh… Thanks…" Rin got up to leave but the girl stopped him.

"You shouldn't fall asleep in class like that. You'll never learn anything."

"Oh? Well I think I'll be fine."

"Whatever," said the girl. She started to leave the room but Rin stopped her by calling out,

"Hey! What's your name again? I can't remember…"

"It's Kamiki Izumo."

"Got it! Thanks." Rin watched as she left with her friend, followed by the three boys that had found him the other day. The one, Suguro, was giving Rin a glare of hate and annoyance, which Rin just ignored. However, this caused Suguro to get even angrier and march over to Rin's desk, slamming his hand down onto the table.

"What's your problem man!"

"My problem? If I have a problem it would be you invading my personal space," replied Rin, matter-of-factly.

"All you did today was sleep! You didn't pay one bit of attention to ANY of the teacher! Not even your own brother's class! And you want to become an Exorcists?"

"I don't need to pay attention. I already know this shit." said Rin, as he gathered his belongings, not paying Suguro much attention.

"HA! How could you possibly know anything? You were asleep the whole damn time!"

"Try me," Rin said, with a devilish smile. So Suguro proceeded to quiz Rin on every subject that they had learned that day and, much to Suguro's surprise, Rin knew everything, in detail. After he had completely finish his little 'Quiz' Suguro stood there baffled.

"B-But how!? You were ASLEEP!"

"Whatever, guy. I have more important things to do with my time then talk to you." Rin pushed past Suguro, making sure to push him a little bit with his shoulder. Rin left the classroom without another word._ 'Now…. If I were a priceless sword, where would I be kept? Hm….'_ Rin decided he should at least TRY and look in the cram school for the sword, even though he doubted Samael would keep in such an unguarded area. Rin strolled down the hall checking room after room, sensing for any trace's of demonic energy. His father had told him the sword would give off a strange yet unmistakable aura and should be easy to locate once in range, but Rin wasn't having much luck. After checking what was probably his 12th room, he walked out of the door and bumped smack dab into someone he was hoping to avoid. Instantly Rin knew the man before him was Samael, but he didn't expect him to look like such a clown. At this sight of the man, Rin, trying to act like he wasn't afraid of the powerful demon, burst into laughter.

"And what is so funny? Rin Okumura?" asked Samael.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. You just look so damned funny! Also, how do you know my name?" asked Rin, quitting his laughing.

"Hm? Oh, you see, I'm the director of this academy! My name is Johann Faust, officially. But you can call me Mephisto Pheles!" Rin just stood there, dumbstruck._ 'THIS is the 'all powerful' king of time? HA! He's ridiculous!'_

"Huh?"

"Eloquently said! Anyway, your classes have ended for the day, what are you doing still hanging around here?" Rin was caught off guard, He hadn't prepared a lie in case he was caught. However, one came to him quickly.

"I-I was just, ya know, familiarizing myself with the school…" Mephisto stared down Rin, not buying the lie._ 'He gives off the aura of a demon,'_ though Mephisto,_ 'But he doesn't appear to know that he is one… Is he just lying? No matter. I have a test that will once and for all show if he is truly lying...'_

"Sure you were," replied Mephisto with his menacing grin. "Anyway! I must be off! Take care Rin Okumura!"_ 'MAN! Samael is a bigger clown then father made him out to be.'_ thought Rin. Not wanting to risk running into anyone else, Rin gave up on his search for now. He would just have to settle for checking around his dorm for the sword._ 'Though I'm almost CERTAIN the sword isn't there. I would have felt it when I was unpacking my clothes and such.'_ Slightly saddened that he hadn't made any progress, Rin was about to leave and go back to his dorm, when he smelled something._ 'Blood...'_ thought Rin. The smell was alluring, and Rin couldn't help but to follow it until it led back to it's source, the purple haired girl from earlier, Kamiki Izumo. She had a very small cut on her arm, most likely a paper cut. However, even that small amount of blood tugged at Rin's bloodlust. Deep down, Rin hated it about himself, but because he was a demon, he enjoyed the scent and sight of blood, although, he didn't like the taste of it, like most demons did. He stared at the girl's cut, from a distance, getting a little excited by the mere THOUGHT of cutting her open to see more. However, before his bloodlust made him lose it, Rin turned the other way and bolted down the hallway, trying to get as far away from the blood as possible.

_[ In Assiah, The Supply Shop ]_

Soon after he got away from the blood, Rin made his way back to his dorm room, where he discovered his brother preparing for something.

"Hey, what are you doing, Yukio?" asked Rin.

"I've been called. I also have to pick up some things from the supply shop, so I will be gone for a little while."

_'Where is he going….. Could it get me closer to this sword my father was talking about?' Maybe… can't hurt to go along.'_

"Can I come?!" asked Rin, feigning excitement. Yukio seemed to be genuinely surprised by the question.

"NO! You're still a paige Rin! They don't let paiges go on missions."

"Oh come on! What do they know! Besides I'm already field tested!"

"You have a point…. Alright, you can come. But do EXACTLY as I say ok? Don't touch anything your not supposed to."

"Gotcha!" Yukio pulled out a key, entering it into the lock and opening the door. The two of them stepped through the door onto a very highly raised bridge. "WOW!" yelled Rin, in ACTUAL surprise. "Were way high!"

"That's because this supply shop was built so that it couldn't be reached from the ground. Only somebody with a key can get up here." replied Yukio. They walked in silence across the bridge until they reached the stairs that led to the supply shop's front door. "Now you're going to have to wait here. Only certified Exorcists are allowed to enter." Rin nodded._ 'Guess I was wrong. I doubt Samael would hide the sword in this remote location. He probably keeps it closer to him…'_ As Rin pondered his thoughts he heard someone humming. Searching for the source of the humming, he soon came across a garden. Inside was a girl, who was humming as she planted flowers. Rin thought the garden was beautiful. _'Another thing I missed about Assiah was its beauty and peacefulness'_ The only thing separating Rin and the girl was a gate. However, had Rin known it had a spell on it, he probably wouldn't have tried to open it… probably. When Rin went to open the gate, it zapped him and caused the gate's door to fall off of it's hinges. The girl yelped in surprise.

"De...Demon…." she said, slowly crawling away. "Get away from me you Demon!" _ 'Dammit! She knows!'_ thought Rin. He tried to come up with an excuse, but decided it would be easier to just befriend the girl.

"Hey! I am NOT a demon! You should learn more about a person before you go around, accusing them of things like that!"

"Just stay back!" she said, trying to crawl away even faster. Rin noticed how she kept stumbling. _'It's like she's not even using her legs...'_

"Hey! Is something wrong with your legs?" The girl stopped for a moment, considering what to do. The boy in front of her was dressed in a school uniform and didn't LOOK like a demon, so she decided to give him a shot.

"Yea…. I can't walk on them…. Anyway, I'm actually glad you're here. I needed someone to help me dig a hole."

"And a second ago, you were calling me a demon... Oh whatever…" said Rin, trying to keep the sarcasm from his voice. _'Thank goodness… She finally stopped shouting.'_ Rin got down on his hands and knees and started digging the hole she asked for. After she had finished planting her flowers she spoke up,

"Oh! I'm sorry! I don't know your name!"

"It's Rin, Rin Okumura."

"Nice to meet you Rin. My name's Shiemi. Shiemi Moriyama." The two two shook hands, but were interrupted when Yukio came out into the garden with the shopkeeper.

"Rin! I thought I told you not to do or touch anything!" shouted Yukio.

"Well sorry! This garden just looked so nice..."

"I can't leave you alone for a second can I..." Muttered Yukio under his breath. However, before Rin could counter Yukio's statement, the shopkeeper spoke up.

"Shiemi, let him have a look at you legs."

"But Mom...!" Her whining was soon cut off by Yukio, who tried to calm her by saying,

"Hey, just let me have a look at them. If I don't find anything, you're nine the worse off, right?"

"Okay then..." She lifted up her komodo a little to show Yukio her legs. Both Rin and Yukio knew exactly what was wrong. _'Oh I see. There's a ent in the garden, sapping away her life force. How pitiful._' However, because they hadn't yet learned about such demons in class Rin remained silent. Yukio, on the other hand, launched into his explanation.

"It's a root."

"A what?!" Screeched the shopkeeper. "She's not possessed is she?!" _ 'Wow! This woman is a nut job! She is really over reacting.'_

"She's not possessed," explained Yukio. "What's happening is a low level demon called an ent, or green man, is reaching up through the soil and into Shiemi's legs. This way it can feed off if her soul. If we don't find it soon she will die..."

"That's it Shiemi! I don't care how much you or your grandmother loved this garden! It's gone far enough! We need to get you out of here!

"No!" Replied Shiemi, "I'm not leaving mom! I hate you!" Suddenly, Shiemi fainted, as if those words had taken away all her energy. Yukio and Rin carried Shiemi to her room, where they put her into her bed to rest.

"We have to find that demon... And fast."_ 'Should I help them? Heh, what do I care if the girl dies? I should just let Yukio find the damn thing...whatever...'_ Later that night, while 'helping' to look for the demon, Rin found Shiemi up and watering the flowers.

"Doing some late night gardening?" Asked Rin.

"Yea, I forgot to do the watering today..."

"You know what your doing right? You're basically killing yourself. That demon is feeding off of your soul."

"I don't care! This is my grandmas garden and I will protect it!"

"So be it..." Yukio walked up to the two as they were having their conversation.

"Did I miss something?" He asked.

"Not really." Replied Rin. _'Oh I see... So that's where you've been hiding!'_ Rin was finally able to pinpoint the location of the ent after trying for a few minutes._ 'So that's what your planning... I wonder how this will turn out...'_ Rin could tell by the ent's position that it was going to grow out from underneath Shiemi, but didn't say anything. Rin just wanting to see how things turned out. The ent, without any warning, revealed itself and grabbed ahold of Shiemi, using her as a shield. Yukio instantly drew his dual pistols. Rin on the other hand just watched and briefly wondered how the demon got in considering the powerful demon warding spell on the gate. Yukio yelled at the demon,

"Hey! Let go of her! If you don't I'll just have to shoot both of you!"

"You wouldn't dare!" Replied the demon, "You exorcists can't fool me!"

"Fine! Have it your way!" Yukio fired his gun, aiming for Shiemi's chest. The demon, thinking it was a real bullet detached itself from Shiemi. Once the demon let go of Shiemi, Yukio fired at it with his OTHER fun that had been filled with bullets blessed in holy water. The demon was vaporizing, leaving Shiemi unharmed, except for a slight stinging sensation on her chest where Yukio's plant vitamin bullet hit her.

"Wow Yukio! That was pretty impressive!" Yukio didn't respond to his brother with anything except a nod.

"Rin, it's late. I'm going to go tell Shiemi's mom that the root is gone and name sure Shiemi gets back into bed. You can head back to the dorms."

"Ok then! Cya later Yukio!" Rin made his way back across the bridge and to the door. He used one of his only two keys and arrived back in his dorm._ 'Damn. That was the biggest waste of time ever... and now it's too late to go looking for the sword without raising suspicion. Might as well go to bed...'_ And that's exactly what Rin did.

**[ The Next Day ]**

_[ In Assiah, The Cram School ]_

Rin was fairly surprised the next day when he discovered that the girl from the supply shop, Shiemi, had joined their class. _'Wow, she looks WAYYY too nervous… It's just a stupid Exorcist School…. why does it matter so much?'_ However, Rin couldn't help but feel bad for the nervous girl, so he sat down next to her. She began a short conversation with him, mainly because she was the only person, other than Yukio, who she actually knew.

"Hey Rin!"

"Hey Shiemi. Why are you here at the cram school?" asked Rin.

"OH! Well you see, I thought this would be a good start at going to see the world. Also, I joined so that I could learn to become stronger so something like yesterday doesn't happen again."

"I see." Before Rin could continue the conversation, Yukio began his lecture for the day. Rin blocked out most of his brother's talking deciding it would be more beneficial to take a nap. If Rin had been awake, he most likely would have heard Suguro's words of anger that were directed at him. However, after roughly 30 minutes of napping, Rin was awakened by his brother, who slammed a piece of paper down in front of Rin. Rin looked up at his brother questionably and Yukio responded with a threatening sounding,

"Pop Quiz!" Rin didn't look even remotely phased by the prospect of a pop quiz, but the rest class looked at Yukio with shock and horror.

"And what's it on?" asked Rin, seeming not to care all that much.

"If you had been paying attention, you'd know." Rin just shrugged at his brother's sharp remark. Yukio quickly passed out the rest of the quizzes to the class and announced the time limit for the quiz.

"You have until the end of class to complete this quiz. That gives you roughly 12 minutes, so hurry up!" Rin took one look at the paper and sighed._ 'All this shit is easy! These dumb herbs are hated in Gehenna because of their effects on demons and the wounds they can inflict.'_ Rin quickly scribbled in all the answers and was about to turn in his paper when he realized something. It might be a little suspicious if he got EVERY answer correct while he was actually sleeping._ 'Ah screw it. I'm too lazy to erase my answers...'_ Without changing a single answer Rin turned his paper in with 8 minutes to spare. Everyone else, except Suguro, took the rest of the class period to complete their quizzes. When class finished, Rin was pulled aside by Yukio.

"Rin, you got a 100%" Yukio said in a concerned kind of voice.

"Great. Is there a problem?"

"Ah…. I guess not…."

"Cool. Cya later Yukio!" Yukio stood there looking at his brother's Quiz._ 'Rin was never this smart… He BARELY made it out of junior high….. Maybe it was just a fluke...'_ thought Yukio. All the kids had left for the day, but then suddenly, something happened. He heard Rin scream from out in the hall. Yukio burst into the hallway, quickly drawing his guns, not knowing what dangers await him on the other side. The hall was empty, except for his brother, who was on his knees, staring at the blue flames that were covering his body. Rin looked up at Yukio and said,

"Yukio! What the hell is going on?! The hell are these flames!?" Yukio looked behind him, making sure nobody else could see his brother. As he did so, he also holstered his guns.

"I'll explain later, but for now we have to get you home."

"Wait! Yukio! Tell me what's going on! What the hell is all this!?" yelled Rin, gesturing to his body.

"NOW IS NOT THE TIME!" scream Yukio, in a very stern voice. Rin knew it was best just to listen to his brother._ 'Good, he's buying it. But why'd this happen NOW? It's only happened one time before… and back then..'_ Rin suddenly remembered something very important. A long time ago a demon named Kabus had told him something about his powers that Rin had forgotten.

_*START FLASHBACK*_

**What's this? It seems the thing sealing your powers isn't a one time thing. It seems to act like a switch that someone can flick on and off at will. **

"Yea, but who has the switch?" asked Rin. **That, my young prince, I do not know.**

_*END FLASHBACK*_

Whatever the 'switch' was, Rin knew somebody had flipped it. Causing his powers to come out on their own. However, this time, his powers came WAY stronger then they had the first time. The flames were bigger, brighter, and harder to control. His bloodlust increased ten fold, and he noticed his tail came out from under his clothes._ 'At least I don't need to hide the tail from Yukio. To him and the old man, this is the first time my powers have awakened.'_ Yukio quickly grabbed Rin's hand, dragging him to the nearest door. Yukio quickly opened the door, using a key. It led straight into the monastery.

"I can't come with you right now. I have to talk to the school's headmaster, Mephisto. Talk to dad, he will explain everything." said Yukio, as he pushed Rin through the door and slammed it behind him. Rin, now standing in the monastery, called out to his adoptive father.

"DAD!" Rin screamed out. As soon as Rin let out his scream he could hear his old man running through the halls of the monastery, making his way to the main hall where Rin was. When he finally got to Rin, he stared in fear and awe. "We have some things to discuss. First off…. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?" Fujimoto stared at his son, who was burning with the blue flames and was overcome by feelings of dread and failure. He had failed to keep his son human. He would never be able to live a normal human live. Rin would now and always be a demon…

"Rin, I'm sorry….. I should have told you sooner….." and Fujimoto began to explain to Rin his heritage.

_[ In Assiah, True Cross Academy, Mephisto's Office ]_

Mephisto stood in his office, with the Kurikara sword drawn. His plan was to see if Rin was truly lying about his memories being gone or not. If he wasn't lying, he would be utterly confused by the flames, but if he WAS lying, he would kill anyone who saw him until the flames disappeared, no matter who it was. Mephisto though it was an ingenious plan, however was a little saddened when one of his familiares reported back to him.

"The young lord doesn't seem to know who he is, master. It appears as if the flames completely and utterly surprised him."rambled the demon, in its strange language. However, Mephisto understood him just fine.

"I see. And who was he with at the time?"

"It was his brother, the teacher."

"I see, and what transpired between them?"

"Just a small conversation. The the teacher opened a door and shoved the young prince into it. After he closed the door, I felt his presence vanish completely from the area." Mephisto sighed. He had really hoped that Rin had been lying the whole time so that he could just kill him. _'Maybe this is good thing though…. I could use him...'_ thought Mephisto.

"You are dismissed Hagshen." The small demon nodded to its master and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Mephisto continued to formulate his plans, but then realized he still had the sword drawn, and quickly re-sheathed it. _'Now I'm going to have to go through the hassle of rehiding this thing. For now, I will just keep it here.'_ thought Mephisto. He slowly pushed the bookshelf in his office to the side revealing a small compartment. He stashed the sword there and moved the bookshelf back into place. Yukio's timing was uncanny, because as soon as Mephisto had pushed the bookshelf back into place and sat down, Yukio entered the room._ 'A moment later and he would have seen the secret compartment….. WOW that was close...'_ thought Mephisto.

"Mephisto, I'm sure you're aware, but, for some reason, my brother's powers seemed to fully awaken. Somebody has drawn the Koma sword."

"Yes it would appear so. One of my familiaries was watching him and saw it all happen. Good thinking, with the whole key thing."

"Anyway, I suggest we resume the search for the Koma sword. We still don't know what happened to it after Astaroth took it, but someone might be trying to use it to get Rin noticed by the order."

"You're right. I myself will perform a personal investigation into the matter and try to find it ASAP. In the meantime, we should explain to Rin everything that's going on. There just is no hiding it from him anymore."

"I figured as much," replied Yukio. "Anyway I'm heading back to the monastery."

"Alright then! Goodbye!"_ 'So, Rin WASN'T lying after all. He really doesn't remember anything…. I should probably return the sword to Fujimoto...'_ Little did Mephisto know, he was playing right into Rin's hand.

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

Fujimoto had begun to break the news to Rin that he was the son of Satan. Rin took the news 'harshly' or at least as harshly as he could make it seem.

"Rin… You are the child of Satan…." said Fujimoto. Rin stared back at his adoptive father with a gaping mouth, trying his best to act shocked. Fujimoto seemed to buy it.

"I raised you as a human, making certain you wouldn't be able to see demons or appear as demon yourself, by sealing your demonic powers into a sword."_ 'Did he just say sword? Is it the same one I'm searching for? It HAS to be.'_ "Anyway, on the day that you went missing five months ago, you didn't JUST go missing. You were kidnapped by a demon and the sword your powers were sealed in was stolen." Rin already knew everything his 'father' was saying, but did his best to act surprised. However, in the middle of Fujimoto's explanation, Rin's flames went out, but neither of them paid much attention to that. They were both focused on each other. "That demon took you to Gehenna."

"Wait what!? Gehenna!? As in the place where demon's come from!? The one we learned about in school!? THAT Gehenna?" asked Rin. Fujimoto nodded his response.

"However, in the five months you were in Gehenna, it seems the sword was never drawn. Until today that is. It also appears that you lost your memory... but I have no idea HOW you lost your memory or HOW you returned here, to Assiah..." Rin just stared down at the floor. Trying to act like the news had hit him very hard. Suddenly, he realized what he would do had he not known; It's what he wanted to yell at Fujimoto when he first arrived in Gehenna.

"WHAT THE HELL OLD MAN!? YOU KNEW ALL OF THIS AND NEVER SAID A WORD!? NEVER ONCE!?" Fujimoto just stood there, staring at his son. "Whatever…" said Rin as he headed over his room, slamming the door behind him in mock anger._ 'So, Samael has this sword that contains my true powers. And my mission is to retrieve it…. but why didn't father tell me the importance of the sword? Well, no point in questioning it now. I have come too far to not obtain it. I have to see this plan through to the end...'_ Without warning, Yukio entered the room, which surprised Rin greatly considering he didn't think his brother would be home so soon. Rin, now staring at his brother, realized that he wasn't pretending to be angry anymore. He actually WAS angry. He would never forgive his 'family' for abandoning him. So he said to Yukio,

"You knew all along didn't you? Everyone did, didn't they?" Yukio nodded, sadly. "Who else knew about me? Who else knew I was the spawn of Satan?"

"Shura and Mephisto."

"I see." Rin didn't say another word to anyone in the monastery for the rest of the day. He was pretending to be too pissed to talk. However, in reality, it was just easier to not talk to anyone then act like he was angry. Later that night, after everyone ate dinner in silence, Rin and Yukio went back the dorms._ 'At least they finally had the guts to tell me their secret. All it took was for me to burst into flames….'_ Rin was tired of the whole acting thing he was doing. He just wanted to return to Gehenna or, at the very least, quench his bloodlust. As they were going to sleep that night, Rin spoke for the first time in hours,

"Yukio. Why didn't you tell ever tell me about all of this?" asked Rin. This was the first time Rin had actually asked a question and cared about the answer during his mission.

"I did it… because I wanted to protect you…." Rin didn't respond and Yukio couldn't see, because Rin's back was too him, but Rin started to cry. For the first time in five months, Rin started to cry...

**AN: Lol Hey all! Had some spare time to kill today, so I wrote up this chapter for yall! Hope you enjoy it! ALSO! I STILL need help seeing if I can edit previous chapter in the story! Please let me know if there is a way to do so!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Hey eveyone! He's the new chapter! Just wanted to give a special shout out to mummy okumura. She was the one to show me how to edit previous chapters :D which I'll be getting around to doing in the next week or two. I am a VERY lazy person :P **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ao no Exorcist!**

_[ In Assiah, True Cross Academy ]_

_'Finally! Saturday!'_ Rin was very excited for the weekend. Not only because he was sick of sitting through boring classes, but because he had made very little progress in finding the sword. He was only able to search the cram school and droms, therefore he planned to use the weekend as a prime time for searching. After he took a quick shower, got dressed, and had breakfast, Rin made his way back to his room to pick up a few things before he headed out. Once there he found Yukio, sitting at his desk, deep in thought.

"Hey! Yukio! What are you doing?" asked Rin.

"Huh? Oh, I have to get some lesson plans together for a the next week, so I'm gonna be pretty busy today."

"Oh… Well that's boring.. Anyway, I'm going to head out. Probably meet up with some guys from the cram school or something."

"Ok then. When you're done, can you pick up some mineral water?"

"Sure." Rin grabbed his back and was off. He felt bad, for a moment, for lying to Yukio, but the feeling quickly faded. Humans didn't deserve his kindness, not many demons did either for that matter._ 'Now… where to look…..'_ Rin decided he would conduct his search in some of the buildings that were close to the heart of the academy. He would begin with the more outer buildings and slowly make his way inward. However, it didn't take long for Rin to lose focus of his task. He had come across a group of students, none of them from the cram school. There were two standing over a third one. The third one, who was laying on the ground had appeared to have hurt himself, by tripping. He wasn't seriously injured, but blood dripped from a cut on his forearm. Rin had to physically stop himself from lunging at the boys and ripping them to shreds. _'Dammit! How could I have been so stupid! I let myself walk straight into this situation.'_ He tried to stop himself, but he found himself walking forward, slowly._ 'God…. I can't stop… I… I.. need to… stop...'_ But Rin gave in. Rin slowly crept up on the group of students overhearing their conversation.

"Marcus! The hell man! Stop being such a klutz!" said one the standing boys.

"Sorry man!" replied the boy on the ground with a little laugh. His friends helped pick him back up off the ground, but by then Rin had walked up to the group of boys.

"Who are you?" one of the boys asked Rin.

"Me? Oh nobody special." Rin had decided that if he was really going to do this, he couldn't do it out in the open where someone could just walk by and see. No, he had to lure these guys to a secluded location first. "But I need someone's help. You see, I went camping in the woods last weekend and left some stuff there. Thing is…. Ok the thing is I'm afraid to go alone. So, can one of you come with me?" Rin knew it was a tough sell. He wasn't very good at coming up with lies on the spot. Especially when all he could think of was slicing into these guys with his bare hands.

"Wow guy, you ARE a wimp." replied one of the boys. "But, what the hell, I'll come. Marcus, Leroy **(1)**, you guys wanna come too?" The other two nodded._ 'Today must be my lucky day'_ thought Rin darkly. Rin began leading them out of the academy and towards the nearby woods. Technically the woods was on Academy property, but nobody went there much anymore. Soon, Rin and the three boys were hiking along a trail, leading deeper into the forest.

"So, where was your campsite?" asked the Marcus kid, who still had the cut on his arm.

"Oh, it's not too far from here." replied Rin. The four of them walked for roughly ten more minutes, until Rin thought he would be able to get away with what he was about to do. The boys came across a clearing with Rin announced as his 'campsite'. "Thank you for coming with me…" said Rin.

"Hey, no problem man. So where's this stuff you left behind?" asked the kid with the cut. Rin couldn't help but to laugh hysterically. He was going to get away with murder. Not only was his bloodlust peeking, but also the thrill of getting away with something so sinister made Rin's whole body fill with adrenaline. The other boys backed away from Rin, a little curious as to why the boy was laughing like a mad man.

"I'm sorry!" Run yelled, playfully. "But I tricked you!" He rushed at the boys, revealing his fangs, and tail. He quickly ripped into the boy with the cut, Marcus, slitting his throat. The other two started to run away, screaming, They were startled by the strange creature before them. However, Rin was way faster than them. He quickly killed one of the other two boys, by biting into him. Rin spat out the blood that had made it's way into his mouth._ 'YUCK! This stuff still tastes like shit…. I don't understand how to it could though….'_ The third guy had almost made it out of the clearing, before Rin noticed him.

"I can't Just let you leave, now can I?" Rin called after him. Faster than the poor boy thought possible, Rin caught up to him and grabbed his arm. Rin was about to kill the boy when he decided he wanted to have a little fun with him. He grabbed the boys arm, the one called Leroy, and dragged him over to the middle of the clearing. The boy screamed and struggled, but Rin kept a strong grip on him. Rin couldn't help himself but to laugh at the pathetic human, squirming around in front of him. Rin, remembering back to the day his father had tortured him, began to replicate that day with the boy. However, this time, RIN was the one doing the torturing. And he took great amounts pleasure in the task. As he scrapped at the boy's skin, blood flowed out of him. Rin was a little saddened because, back in Gehenna, when he killed demons to quench his bloodlust, he had his sword to stab into them and tear gashes. Sadly, he didn't get to do that here. Nonetheless, Rin was very pleased by the sight and smell of the blood._ 'This is so twisted….'_ thought Rin,_ 'But at the same time… so right...'_ Finally the boy in front of him died from the loss of blood. Rin stood up, scanning the clearing and admiring the work he had done. His bloodlust was finally quenched and he wouldn't have a problem with it for awhile. However, now he had a different problem. He was completely drenched in the boys' blood. _'Dammit… I can't go anywhere like this… It would raise too many questions.'_ Luckily for Rin, the bag he had brought still had his gym clothes in it from the other day. Thank goodness for forgetting to do the laundry! Rin wiped his hands and arms of most the blood on his uniform and changed into his gym clothes. Rin made sure to hide his bloodied uniform away from the clearing. _'There's no doubt that someone will eventually find this. And when they do I can't have my uniform here… But I also can't take it with me. I don't want to put it in my bag, or else my bag will get all bloody. And I very well can't just hold onto it in my hands! People would see the blood very, very easily. I'll need to hide it for now and retrieve it at night when I can find time to wash it… or I could just say I lost my uniform and get another one…. Yea that works. Let's go with that….'_ After Rin abandoned his bloodied uniform, he took off running out of the woods. He didn't want anyone to see him coming out of the woods, for fear of raising suspicion, so he ran as fast as he could and didn't look back.

_[ In Assiah, True Cross Academy ]_

Rin stopped by the administrations office and explained his 'story'. He told the lady he had lost his uniform when he had visited his dad the previous night and he needed a new one. The lady working there gave him a new one, but said that he would need to pay for the old. After Rin got and changed into his new uniform, he checked the time on a wall clock. 17:45. He really had wasted a whole day of searching on his bloodlust, which he wasn't proud of._ 'Those guys probably had families, and lives…. and now there dead….'_ Rin hadn't realized while he was doing it, but it was the first time he had killed a human. In Gehenna he had learned to be ok with killing humans, but it didn't sit right with him. Now he felt… guilty. He also was disgusted with himself. He didn't like to think that he was capable of causing such a horrid display. '_At least I should be good for awhile….'_ Rin, remembering what time it was, got up and headed back to his dorm. _'Dinner will start soon…. And I have to make it….'_ When Rin returned he was surprised to find Yukio STILL sitting at his desk drawing up lesson plans.

"What the hell Yukio!? How long does it take for lesson plans?" Rin asked.

"What!? I finished those hours ago! I'm grading papers! And where's my mineral water!?" Rin stood stock still. He had forgotten the mineral water.

"Um... Yea I, uh... I forgot it... I mean it's water; It's transparent, so it's easy to forget. Anyway, I'm going to start dinner."

"You forgot the mineral water!? How do you forget water!? Whatever, just go make dinner." Said Yukio, angrily. He was really upset over the mineral water. However, before Rin could leave the room Shura burst into the room, causing Rin to jump in surprise.

"What the heck are you doing here?" Rin asked.

"Nothing that concerns you. Yukio. We got a situation. Three students were found dead in the woods. It's believed to be a demon's doing." Rin stared at Shura in shock. _'They found it THAT fast? Holy hell…..'_

"What?" asked Yukio, finally looking up from his papers.

"Yea. Apparently it was a blood bath." Rin just stood there with an actual look of fear on his face._ 'What if they find out it was me….?'_ Rin didn't want to think about what he had done, so he simply left the room.

"Hey, what's up with Rin? He seems a bit… off." asked Shura.

"Does he? I didn't notice. He said he was going to make dinner."

"Whatever, we don't have time for that. Come with me." Shura pulled out a key that led her and Yukio into a port-a-potty that was right outside the woods. "The demon seemed to just kill two of the students for the sake of killing them, but the third one…. that's a different story."

"Why? What did he do to the third guy?" Shura was about to say something, but then thought twice about it.

"Wait and see for yourself…" her voice was filled with disgust and hatred. When they arrived at the clearing, he saw why Shura was so upset. The place was a blood bath. The two students lay dead, one having his throat slit, other with his throat bitten into. The last guy was the most disturbing however. He was covered from head to toe in scratches, bites, and gashes that all leaked blood. It was a horrifying sight to see.

"What traces did the demon leave?" asked Yukio. Most demons left noticeable traces that helped to identify it. However, Shura shook her head and sighed.

"There are none. I said it is BELIEVED to be a demon, but there is always the possibility it was a human."

"But who would do such a horrible thing…?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, four-eyes." The two stayed there with the other Exorcists to try and solve the murder case, however, it became evident that there was nothing to go off of. Yes, they had found SOME usable evidence, but it didn't help them determine if the murderer was a human or a demon. Little did they know, he was both.

_[ Down in the depths of Gehenna, Satan's Throne Room ]_

"Sebastian." said Satan, in a fairly pissed tone.

"Yes, your highness?" responded the demon.

"I need you to retrieve Kabus for me." Sebastian was appalled! Kabus was a terribly untrustworthy demon. He couldn't believe his master of asking for him

"Sir? are you sure? Kabus is-"

"ARE YOU QUESTIONING MY DECISION!?" Sebastian quaked in fear. He didn't remember the last time his master was so angry.

"Sorry Lord Satan," he said with a bow, "I will retrieve him at once." Sebastian walked calmly out of the throne room, but took off into a sprint as soon as he was out of sight of Satan._ 'Dammit Kabus…. why does Lord Satan need you?' _Sebastian thought to himself.

After traveling back to the location Sebastian had found Rin five months ago, Sebastian was shocked to see that Kabus was nowhere in sight.

"KABUS! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Sebastian screamed. Suddenly, and without warning, Kabus appeared, enveloping Sebastian in his fog. **You called?** asked the demon fog.

"Yes. Lord Satan has requested your presence at his castle." **OOOH! How very interesting! Did he say why?**

"Let's just say, he was inclined to share his reasons."** He yelled at you didn't he. I can see it on your face. That look of fear. I also, kinda took a peek inside your memories.**

"I hate you, you know that right?"** Suuuure you do. Whatever you say, brother.**

"Stop calling us brothers! You stopped being my brother the moment you betrayed Lord Satan." **I didn't betray him!**

"You call defying his orders in front of everyone NOT betrayal?"** It was a long time ago. Just leave it in the past. Anyway, I can move much faster on my own, so I will head over to Lord Satan.**

"Can't you just carry me with you? It took me forever to walk here!" **Sorry, but I'm not sure if you can trust me. I might drop you!**

"I really hate you Kabus." Sebastian snarled. After he said that, Kabus' fog shifted and moved at the speed of wind towards Satan's castle. _'What the hell could Satan want with Kabus...'_

Kabus arrived at the castle very quickly, heading straight for Satan's Throne Room. Satan greeted him with a warm welcome. Well, as warm and kind as a welcome from Satan can be. **Lord Satan, I believe you have requested my presence?** Satan ignored Kabus' question and sighed.

"Kabus, we talked about this. Please condense your fog, I don't appreciate it covering the entire room." **My apologizes.** Kabus condensed his fog so much that he was nearly invisible. He was more of a hazy mist then a fog. Not only that, but he didn't take up NEARLY as much space as he had before. Unless you looked at him at the right angle, you could barely even SEE Kabus anymore. "Now," said Satan, "I have a task for you. And if you don't follow your orders exactly, I WILL kill you." **Understood, my lord. What do you need me to do?**

"My son, Rin, I believe you've met him? I sent him on a mission in Assiah. One of the things he was NOT supposed to do while there was kill anyone. And he just did. Three of them to be exact. I need YOU to go to Assiah, find Rin, and make sure this doesn't happen again. Also, I wasnt you to make sure he isn't hurt by anyone understand? Make sure he isn't killed by those Exorcists. Be a sort of Guardian Demon for him. **Am I aloud to speak with him, My Lord?**

"Yes you may, If thats how you feel it is best to solve the problem. Actually, that's a great idea. My son will brief you on his mission, and you can help carry it out. However, there is one thing."** And what is that?**

"The King of Time, Samael, as you may know, works for the Exorcists. He runs the school Rin is undercover at. He will definitely be able to sense you if you let yourself be known. So you must hide your presence." **Understood Sir. Shall I be off?**

"Yes." said Satan, as he ripped the skin on his forearm. His blood drained out of it and slowly formed a very small Gehenna Gate. Without a word Kabus floated through it and into Assiah.

_[ In Assiah, The Dorm Room ]_

Rin had just started cooking his dinner when it happened. An, Exorcist, Rin didn't know which one, had snuck up behind him and clubbed him the back of the head. An normal human would have been knocked out, but luckily for Rin, he wasn't a normal human. Although the knock to the head had made him fall to the floor, he was still conscious. He laid there for a few seconds, pretending as if the he was knocked out. Soon he felt the Exorcist picking him up and thats when he attacked. He punched the man right in the face, causing him to let go of Rin and stumble backwards. However, before Rin could follow up with another attack, the man pulled a gun on him.

"I was going to do this the easy way, but you leave me no choice." The man, Rin noticed, was fidgety and nervous. As if he was afraid of being caught. Rin, being his usual curious self, asked the man,

"YUKIO!" Rin shouted, hoping his brother had returned from his mission.

"Your brother is still out. Were all alone."

What do you want with me?" The man didn't respond to Rin's question, instead he said,

"Just come quietly and nobody has to get hurt." Rin looked the man up and down and thought,_ 'Ha! I could take this guy on easily! However… I'm just a paige, I'm not supposed to be able fight an Exorcist and win. It would look too suspicious…. Dammit...'_ Rin slowly raised his hands to show his surrender.

"Now, come on." The man motioned with the gun for Rin to leave the kitchen. Rin did as he was instructed and the man followed behind him, gun still raised.

"So, you gonna tell me what the hell is going on?" asked Rin. The just grunted, feeling as if the teen didn't deserve an answer. They continued their walk in silence._ 'I could just kill him and dispose of the body but…'_ Rin still felt guilty about killing the other three unnecessarily, and didn't think he could go through with killing someone, unless it was his last resort._ 'Damn my conscious...' _Eventually, the man had led Rin out of the building. There was a van waiting for them outside. Rin started to panic. There were more than just one of them…

"Sorry, this might sting a bit." said the man with the gun. He shot Rin three times with the tranq darts that had been in the gun. One should have been enough to knock Rin out, but the man wanted to make sure. Before Rin lost consciousness, he heard the van door opening and a female voice say,

"Why didn't you shoot him before?" The man, who caught the feinting Rin, replied,

"He didn't pass out when I clubbed him, so I figured, why make him pass out and make me carry him, when I can just make him walk here himself?"

"You're such an idiot…" Rin wasn't able to hear the rest of their conversation, before he blacked out completely.

_[ In Assiah, Location Unknown ]_

Rin woke up in a daze. Everything was blurry and he couldn't make out what those around him were saying. He lay there for a few moments until feeling began to return to his lifeless body. He was bound, he realized. He seemed to be strapped down to the table by his wrists and ankles. Something that also startled Rin was that his tail was bound as well._ 'Dammit. They know...'_ One of the people whom had been walking around realized Rin had woken up and immediately walked over to his side. The man's face was still blurry to Rin and he couldn't catch what the man had said. However, after a little while, his vision cleared and his sight was fairly normal again. The man, who seemed to be a doctor of sorts, didn't know Rin couldn't hear him and was in mid sentence when Rin's hearing returned.

"-for roughly five hours! I was surprised the effects of the tranq darts lasted that long!" Rin gritted his teeth and growled back,

"The hell are you talking about?! And where the hell am I?!" The man laughed at Rin's anger.

"Young Prince! Can you really not sense me?! It hasn't been that long! How long ago was it been? Five months?" Rin stared at the man standing before him and realized something was off. He didn't FEEL normal. He felt... possessed. Rin's eyes shot open with realization.

"Kabus!?"

"BINGO!" shouted the man in delight.

"What the hell Kabus! How'd you get to Assiah? And why the hell am I here?"

"It's a long story! But I'll tell you. So, where to start..?" The man stared off into space and didn't say anything for a little while. Rin stared at him and when he didn't say anything Rin growled,

"KABUS! Just get on with it!"

"Right! Sorry Sorry! Anyway, your father sent me here to keep an eye on you. After you killed those kids in the woods he was afraid your cover has going to be or had been blown. I am here to ensure that doesn't happen. As well as assist with your mission."

"Okay.. So where the hell are we? And why do you have me strapped down?"

"Hmmm? Oh! I didn't strap you down. This man did," he said as he gestured to himself. "After I was sent here, I was easily able to locate you, but when I did, a man had shot you with some tranq darts. I followed them back here to this… lab, I guess you could call it, and watched them. They apparently had discovered you were the son of Satan and wanted you for there own gains. I killed them though so you don't have to worry." Rin looked around. He wasn't able to see much because he was still strapped down, but saw blood stains covering the walls and a corpse in the corner. _'Wow… Kabus is a lot more powerful than I though...'_

"So, now what?" asked Rin.

"Well now I free you and we dispose of these bodies." Rin nodded. Kabus, still in the doctor's body, undid Rin's straps and together they gather the bodies into the center of the room.

"Where should we put them?" Rin asked.

"Put them? We're not going to PUT them anywhere. You're going to burn them."

"Kabus! I'm not sure if you know this or not, but father never taught me to control my flames. He said that if I completed this mission he would, but as you can see, the mission is complete yet!"

"Who said you needed to control the flames? Just summon them and torch the bodies." Rin looked nervous. In Gehenna he tried multiple times to summon the flames, but when he did they torched anything and everything that was around. _'I guess that's exactly what need right now though.'_

"What about that body you're in? It will most likely burn as well."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Just summon the flames." Rin nodded. Rin had no problems summoning the flames. Controlling them and putting them out was a different story. The flames burst from him in all directs, torching, not only the bodies, but practically everything in the room. Rin sat there and watched as all the bodies, including the one Kabus was in, had completely burned to ash. However, now Rin couldn't stop. The flames just continuously poured from him. **Rin, stop.** Rin realized that it was Kabus. It had long forgotten about how it sounded for someone to talk in your head. Even though he could reply in his thoughts, Rin was panicking too much and screamed.

"I CAN'T!" Rin fell to his knees. He was clutching his sides, doing everything he could to stop. Calmly, Kabus spoke again. **Rin, just stop.** Suddenly, a calm came over Rin. The flames continued to burn around Rin, but they had decreased in size and intensity.

"Kabus… How did you do that? You just stopped it."** I'm a demon of the mind. I'm very good at getting around peoples' heads. I can make people experience all kinds of emotions. But now's not the time to explain the extent of my powers. We have to go.** Rin, nodded, enough though he was nodding to thin air. He walked out through the fire and out of the building. His flames continued to die down and had now completely vanished. Although, the inside of the building was still on fire. Now, Rin was on a hill that overlooked Academy City. The ENTIRE City. Rin was dumbfounded. _'They drove me all the way out of Academy City!?' _**Yea. I tried to get to the car and posses the driver, but the car went faster than me.**_ 'Hey wait a minute. Why the hell aren't you a giant ass fog anymore?'_** Again, I'll explain later. For now, let's get you back to somewhere save. Where's the safest place near here?** _'Probably my dorm. You said I was knocked out for five hours, so Yukio should be home by now. Being near him is the safest place I can think of. That or the Paladin's place, but the dorms are closer…. OH SHIT!'_** What is it?** _'Yukio's gonna be looking all over for me! Dammit where I am going to tell him I was?'_** I don't know, but for now let's hurry and get away from here. I don't want more of them showing up.** _'Who where they again?'_ Rin asked, as he started to walk down the hill he was on. **They seemed to be Exorcist that were Satanic worshipers. I was saddened to kill them, because you don't find many Satanists these days, but I couldn't let them harm you.**_ 'So how do you propose we get back to the dorms?'_ **I posses someone driving a car, DUH?** **Sheesh, for the son of Satan you're imagination is lacking seriously lacking.**_ 'Shut up!'_ Rin walked down to a nearby road and he and Kabus waited for someone to drive by.

**AN: (1) I Don't really know many Japanese names, so I just threw in some random names that came to mind. Hey Everyone! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter. My friend said that it was a little, strange, but I AM going to further explain the whole 'Satanists' thing in the next chapter, so don't worry! Ps: For those of you who are wondering, I update every week at least ONCE, but sometimes I update more than once. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ao no Exorcist. **

_[ In Assiah, Heading toward True Cross Academy ]_

It wasn't long before an unsuspecting car drove by. Luckily for Rin and Kabus, the only one in the car was the driver. Kabus was easily able to posses the man and the the two of them headed for True Cross Academy. Rin was sitting in the passenger seat and was annoyed with Kabus' silence, so he spoke up.

"So, Kabus, what exactly are Satanists?" Rin asked.

"Well," said Kabus, speaking through the man he had now possessed, "From what I know, they are a group of demon worshipers who want to please and serve Satan. I don't know WHY they do, they just do. It would also appear that some have even gone so far as to join the Exorcists in an attempt to get closer to Satan."

"So, how did they know I was his son?"

"Well, to my understanding, they have discovered a way to detect the opening of Gehenna Gates. Although, didn't seem to have shared this information with the Knights of the True Cross. Anyway, when you first arrived here they most likely put a tail on you, to follow you around. They needed to see if you were in fact a demon or a human. My guess is, they saw you kill those poor boys in the forest and knew that you were in fact a demon. I don't know, however, if they knew you were the SON of Satan. They probably thought you were close to him, considering you came out of a Gehenna Gate, but they had no way of knowing. Either way, they were going to try to use you."

"I see. And how much more are there?" asked Rin, a little worried.

"I have no way of knowing. You'll just have to be careful around any Exorcist you don't know, Okay?"

"Got it." They continued their drive in silence until another question formed in Rin's mind. "By the way. Why aren't you a giant ass fog anymore? Last time I saw you, you completely covered my field of vision." Kabus, through his host, sighed. These questions were so easy to answer. Had his teachers in Gehenna taught him nothing?

"Well, you see, my gaseous body doesn't HAVE to be a fog. I can change my form at any time I choose. Currently, I'm a mist. Very hard to see to the naked eye. Sadly though, I can't manipulate the physical world with my mist. My fog is my only form strong enough to do that. But, Lord Satan told me to keep my presence hidden from Samael, and to do that I need to remain in mist form."

"I see…" Rin left it at that. He had a few more questions to ask, but decided that he could wait until later to ask them. Right now he had to come up with a convincing lie to tell Yukio._ 'Should I text him and let him know I'm alright? Yea, I think I will do that...'_ However, Rin realized his phone wasn't in his pocket. _'Damn, I must not have had it on me when I was cooking. Oh well.'_ Rin and Kabus sat in silence for the rest of their car ride.

_[ In Assiah, True Cross Academy ]_

Yukio was panicking. It was 22:57 and Yukio had just gotten back from his mission, but Rin was nowhere to be found. He looked through the entire dorm room, but came up short. Rin was not there. Yukio called up Shura to see if she had seen him, but when she had no idea where Rin was, Yukio really started to freak out. Even though Rin was responsible, he was still paranoid that something might happen to him like it had five months ago. He went crazy looking for Rin. He checking the cram school, the supply shop, and even the on campus grocery store. He couldn't find Rin anywhere. He had nearly given up the search when Rin started walking up to him. Yukio was revealed, but at the same time very pissed.

"What the hell Rin!" he said as Rin neared him. Yukio was sitting on a park bench that wasn't too far from their dorms. "I've been looking all over for you! The least you could have done was left a note! Where were you!?" Rin, even though he had had an entire car ride to think up a good lie, didn't know what to say.

"Umm.. well.. I-I was… I was… I was ahh…. out for a walk! Yea! I was just, ya know, clearing my head." Yukio look at him, seeing right through his lie.

"At 10:57 at night?"

"What the hell do you know?" Yukio just sighed. He was glad his brother was okay.

"Anyway Rin, it's late. We should head back."

"Yea, Okay." The two walked in silence for the remainder of their walk. However, Yukio didn't know this, but Rin and Kabus were having their own conversation.** A walk? That was seriously the best you could come up with?** _'HEY! I didn't hear YOU suggesting any ideas! And besides he bought it didn't he?'_ **Not really. Looks to me like he was just indifferent towards the lie. **_'SHUT UP!'_ **Anyway, I remember you asking me about how I calmed you down, correct?** Rin, having momentarily forgot he had done so, was a little surprised, but then remembered quickly. _'Yea, I did. So, you gonna tell me or what?'_ **Yes, Young Prince, I am.** **You see it's very similar to how I talk to you. Currently I am inside you head sending messages to your communication center of the brain. I can do the same with your emotional center as well. However, I want to do that as little as possible. I don't want you getting reliant on me to stop your powers.**_ 'Gotcha.'_ Soon the two brothers had returned to their dorms and, afterwards, went to sleep.

_[ In Assiah, The Cram School ]_

The rest of the weekend went by in a blur for Rin. He mopped around most of the day because he had a) killed three people and was guilty about it, and b) was very easily kidnapped by some Satanists. He was in such a depressed state on Sunday that he didn't even bother looking for the sword. He was very annoyed when he had to get up on Monday morning and go to school, because all he wanted to do was sit around and be left alone. But, in the end, Kabus had talked Rin into getting out of bed and heading off to school. _'It's not fair! I have to sit through classes all day when I could be lookg for this dumb sword. I would be okay with it if I was already an Exorcist and could go on REAL missions._' **Well, sorry, Rin, but these are Lord Satan's orders.**_ 'Yea I know...'_ Rin arrived at class to see everyone sitting around chatting and filling out papers. He walked over to Shiemi and asked her what was going on.

"Hey, Shiemi! What's everyone doing?"

"You didn't hear? There's going to be an Exwire Boot Camp for us paiges. It's to prepare us for our Exwire Authorization Exam."

"Oh, I see."

"Yea. So you have to mark on this form if you'll be attending and then write down what meister you want to be."

"Oh okay." Rin picked up a piece of paper from the front and started to fill it out. He had nearly completed, but was stuck at a section. He had no clue what a meister is. He never learned what that was in Gehenna and Kabus didn't seem to know either. So he walked over to Suguro, the one Rin believed to be the smartest, and asked him,

"Hey man…. What's a meister?" Suguro was dumbfounded. Rin seemed to know everything, even though he slept during class, but he didn't know what a meister was?

"What the hell!? You don't know what a freaking meister is!?"

"Come on…. can you help me out?" Rin asked, almost pleading. Suguro didn't seem like he was going to answer, so Konekomaru did.

"A meister is one of five 'classes' of Exorcist. Each meister had a different fighting technique and specializes in a specific field of Exorcism." Rin sat down at the table that the Konekomaru, Shima, and Suguro were all sitting at.

"Oh, Okay. And what are the five meisters?" Rin asked.

"The five meisters are Dragoon, Knight, Doctor, Aria, and Tamer."

"Okay… So what does each class specialise in?"

"Well a Dragoon is an Exorcist that fights with firearms, like Okumura-Sensei. A Doctor, as you can guess, helps to heal the wounded and specializes in herbs and such. An Aria recites fatal verses to defeat demons, however doing so causes demons to target them first. They may be the most important in a group of Exorcists and therefore need to be protected. A Tamer is someone who can summon and command demons like Miss Kamiki and Miss Moriyama. And finally, a Knight is someone who fights with a sword."

"Wait, did you say sword?"

"Yea, why?"

"Ahh, Well I know my way around a sword pretty well. Well, actually I just know the basics, but I'll go from there."

"Well, you should definitely be a Knight then!"

"I think I will! And what about you? Which miester are you going for?"

"Well," replied Konekomaru, "Shima and I are going for Aria."

"Yea," chiming in Shima, "And Bon here is going to become an Aria AND a Dragoon, cause he's all hard core and stuff."

"Wow, that's our Bon." said Rin.

"Do NOT call me Bon!" raged Suguro. However, before Suguro could say more, the bell rang signaling that class was over. Everyone turned their papers in and started to leave, but Rin was pulled over by Yukio, who had been silently grading quizzes in the front.

"Rin, did I hear you correctly? Did you say you're going for the Knight meister?"

"Yea I am. Is that a problem?"

"NO! Not at all! It's just you'll need this." Yukio led Rin over to the corner of the room, where the closet was. He opened the closet door and pulled out a wooden sword. He then gave the practise sword to Rin. "If your going to become a Knight, you'll need something to practise with."

"HEY! Thanks Yukio!" Rin said, as he slipped the sword into his belt, where it seemed to stay fairly well.

"Don't mention it."

"OH! Hey Yukio, before I forget. Didn't the old man say Shura worked here as well? I haven't seen her once, except for when she barged into the dorm looking for you."

"Yea, she is mainly just stationed here for missions related to the area. But she does teach a few classes in self defence. You won't take any until you're an Exwire."

"Oh, cool. Anyway, cya later Yukio!" Rin walked out of the room excited. He couldn't WAIT until the boot camp. He didn't know why, but he really wanted to become an Exwire. Maybe it was because, he was beginning to enjoy live in Assiah again.

**[ The following day ]**

_[ In Assiah, The Old Boys Dormitory ]_

Rin and Yukio were sitting out on the front steps, waiting for the rest of Rin's class to show up for the week long 'Boot Camp'.

"Explain to me why we have to have the boot camp HERE again?" Rin asked.

"Because, it's a big, spacious area and nobody else lives here, so we won't be disturbing anyone else." After a few more minutes of waiting, the rest of Rin's class had arrived. Yukio, trying to get the attention of the class, said in a loud voice, "Hello everyone! Welcome to the week long boot camp! For the next week you'll all be staying here at the Boy's Dormitory as you prepare for your Exwire Authorization Exam! So, unpack and get settled in!" Everyone did as they were instructed and they all selected rooms to stay in. However, not very long after they had all unpacked, Yukio called them all down for a test. Everyone, except for Rin and the kid with the puppet, Takara, seemed to struggle and take as long as possible to complete the quiz. Although it had taken him only 20 minutes, half of the allowed time, Rin pretended as if it were very hard.

"Ahh! That was long! I think I'm gonna go get some air."

"Yea, good idea." Suguro called out after him. After collecting everyone's tests, Yukio announced,

"I want everyone up by 6am tomorrow! That was we have an hour before class to go over the answers to the test." At this, Rin groaned. He disliked waking up early in the morning.

"Paku, let's go take a bath." said the purple haired girl, Izumo.

"Alright." replied Paku.

"I wanna go to!" announced Shiemi, as the girls started to leave. She got up and followed them. Shima, however, seemed to want go as well.

"Wow… Three girls taking a bath together. What do you say guys? Lets bust ass over there and get a peek."

"SHIMA!" shouted Konekomaru. "You're supposed to be a monk, remember!?" The three of them argued among themselves and their teacher, Yukio, on the topic. Meanwhile, the three girls had arrived at the bathroom.

"Hey," said Izumo, turning towards Shiemi, "can you stay out here?"

"Bu-But I wanna come too…"

"I'm sorry, but I'm shy and I don't want you to see me naked. If you were a really friend, you'd understand."

"O-Okay…."

"Actually, instead of standing out here, why don't you go pick me up some Fruitmilk?"

"Fruitmilk…. got it…" said Shiemi, in a saddened voice. The two girls walked into the bathroom, as Shiemi went to go get Fruitmilk. Along the way, she passed Rin, who stopped her to see what was wrong.  
"Hey, Shiemi, what's wrong? You look sad."

"No-Nothing… Just going to get some Fruitmilk…"

"Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"THAT! You're acting like her errand girl! It's not right!" However, before anything else happened, the two of them heard a scream come from the bathroom. Instantly, Rin rushed toward the screaming and yelled back to Shiemi,

"Shiemi, I got this! Go get Yukio!" However, as he ran away, Shiemi thought to herself,_ 'Wow, Rin is so brave. He ran right into danger without even thinking about it!'_

"Wait!" she yelled, "I wanna come too!" Rin rushed into the bathroom, and saw a ghoul, mid-high leveled by the looks of it, standing over Paku, with an acid like fluid dripping out of its face. Much to Rin's surprise, he was followed by Shiemi. Instantly, Shiemi told Rin what to do.

"Rin! You distract the thing, while I tend to Miss Paku!"

"Got it!" Rin launched himself at the beat, drawing his wooden sword from his belt as he did so. Izumo, on the other hand, fell to her knees, unable to help in the battle, because her familiares hadn't listened to her. She had to tear up her summoning papers to protect herself. As Rin danced around the demon, striking it in various places on it's body, Shiemi went to help Paku. However, she didn't have any burn-healing herbs.

"I need some … but where am I going to get some…" Her familiar, Nii, floated down in front of her and, miraculously, grew some aloe out of it's belly. "Wow! Nice going Nii!" she said, breaking some off to cover the ghouls temptaint. Rin, on the other hand, wasn't doing too well. He had been knocked to the ground and his sword was knocked away. He was being choked to death by the damned ghoul._ 'Yea right, like I'd go out like this!'_ thought Rin. He was literally about to flame up, when Yukio came running in, shooting at the ghoul. It easily escaped, by jumping out of some of the windows near the ceiling. Rin called out to his brother,

"You're late!"

"But I made it didn't I?" Rin stood up and retrieved his sword, tucking back into it's place on his belt. He looked over to see Shiemi putting the last bit off aloe onto Miss Paku.

"Nice going Shiemi, who knows what would have happened had you not been here." Yukio said to her. This stung Izumo a little bit, because she was the one who had tried to get rid of her. Rin, who was about to leave, found an almost naked Izumo, crying.

"Hey…" he began, but was cut off by Izumo.

"Don't look at me! I'm so ashamed…. I couldn't even protect the one friend I had!" she sat there crying for a little longer, but then Rin took off his shirt and tossed it at her.

"Here, put this on and get going." He said nothing more as he left the room. Izumo, although she never said anything about it, was very appreciative. **(1)**

_[ In Assiah, The Cram School / The Old Boys Dormitory ]_

The group was a little shaken by the demon attack, but life continued on as usual. However, everyone was trying to figure out how a mid-high level demon got through Mephisto's barrier. It was supposed to repel any and all demons that are mid level and higher. It would be very hard for a demon like that to simple waltz onto academy grounds. Despite that, the paiges still had to go to school the following day. It was yet another long and boring day for Rin. As he sat through the classes listening to the information he already knew. Throughout most of it, Rin was talking to Kabus, trying to come up with an explanation as to HOW the demon got in, but neither came to a solution or even a plausible theory for that matter. Finally, classes ended and Rin was relieved of the terrible classes. He hadn't been paying much attention, but when he looked up from the book he was pretending to read, he saw Izumo and Suguro fighting, right next to his desk. Rin, not caring about it stood up to walk away, but was slapped by Izumo, who had been aiming for Suguro. This caused Rin to get angry and shout,

"If you're gonna fight, GO OUTSIDE!" Yukio, who had heard the uproar, raised his voice,

"Settle down! All of you! Enough with the fighting already!" He didn't appear it, but he was angry. He was so angry actually that he had decided to punish the class. Not the ones fighting, but the whole class. When all of them had returned to the dorms for the second night of 'Boot Camp' they were all met with their punishment. They had to sit in a room with each other for three hours with barions on their laps.

"Now, all of you are going to sit here while I go out on a mission. I hould be gone for about three hours. I'm also going to be locking down the building along with placing a powerful demon ward on the building."

"Wait what?" asked Suguro. "What if we need to get out of here?"

"Don't worry. I'll only be gone for three hours. So just cool off and get along until I get back." Without another word, Yukio left the room.

"Wow, Okumura. Its hard to believe you and him are related." said Suguro.

"But he's a good guy, I know it." Roughly five minutes after Yukio left, Izumo and Suguro began to bicker again.

"Anyway, where only here thanks to a certain SOMEONE." In response to Suguro's accusation, Izumo retorted,

"Huh!? I'm not the one who went and grabbed YOU by the collar did I?"

"WOULD YOU STOP FIGHTING WITH ME IN THE MIDDLE!?" Rin roared. Suddenly, and without warning, the lights in the room went dark, causing almost everyone to become startled and drop their barions. Rin, who had been the first to drop his, complained,

"Ow! I dropped the barion on my foot…"

"Wow," said Izumo. "Is it a blackout?" Shima responded,

"No, I see lights on outside. Here, I'm going to go check it out."

"Shima, be careful." said Konekomaru, who was a little scared. Shima opened the door, peeked outside it, then quickly shut it again.

"My eyes must be playing tricks on me. That or theres a de-" Shima didn't get to finsih his statement before the ghoul from last night came bursting through the door. Luckily, Shima was able to dodge the beast's attack and regroup with his friends in the back of the room.

"What happened to the demon warding charm!?" asked Konekomaru. Before anyone could do anything, part of the ghoul burst open splashing everyone with it's strange fluid, as well as revealing a hidden face it had. The strange fluid seemed to have a weakening effect on everyone, except for Rin. Everyone started breaking down into coughing. Rin, quickly pulling out his phone, tried to call Yukio. However he didn't pick up.

"Hell of a time to not be picking up, Yukio!" muttered Rin. However, Shiemi was the first one to react.

"Nii! Quickly! I need -Oona!" With those words, Nii released a big bundle of roots that formed a barrier between the ghoul and the group. It also seemed to strike the ghoul, ripping into it's chest.

"Nice going Shiemi! You saved us! That was some quick thinking." said Rin. However, the battle wasn't over. The ghoul started to ear at the barrier, trying to break it down. "Dammit.." Rin muttered. "Hey! I'm going to lure it away! You guys stay here and when the coast is clear, make a break for it ok?" Rin started to climb through the barrier, but was met with some protest from Suguro.

"Okumura! Get back here! It's too dangerous to go alone!" But Rin didn't listen to them, he just continued making his way through the barrier. Once on the other side, he looked at the demon and said,

"I'm the one you want right!? So come and get me!" Rin, after getting the attention of the ghoul, took off running. He didn't want to be anywhere near the others if he had to use his flames during this fight. Eventually, Rin made his way to the power center of the dorm and discovered all the switches were turned off. "That's strange… All the switches are turned off. So I'll just turn 'em back on." However, before he had the chance too, the ghoul, which had snuck up on Rin, wrapped its tongue around Rin's arm and sent him flying. Suddenly and without him summoning them, Rin's flames appeared._ 'Hmm, well I'm not complaining. I can put them to good use right now.'_ Little did he know that Mephisto was testing him again. Rin lunged at the ghoul, stabbing it with his wooden sword. Although the sword itself didn't do much to the ghoul, the flames made quick work of it.

"There they are! Those brilliant blue flames you keep hidden." Rin looked over to see his instructor, , standing there watching him. Rin suddenly realized his bloodlust was at an all time high. He also saw that his flames were starting to get a little out of control. Rin slowly backed up, not wanted to injury the man, but at the same time hoping that he could.

**_*QUICK FLASH TO MEPHISTO's THOUGHTS*_**

_'If the boy truly IS a demon, he will rip Neuhaus to shreds, ridding everyone that knows his secret. However, if he hasn't given in to his demon side, he will mearley talk to Neuhaus and do his best to keep his flames in check. I wonder how this will turn out...'_

**_*MEPHISTO'S THOUGHTS OVER*_**

"What the hell do you want!? Why did you send this ghoul to attack us!?" Neuhaus only laughed and started to walk away. "Hey! Come back here!" but Rin didn't move. He thought it would be a safer bet to just stay still for a while. If he chased after his in a rage, theres no telling what he would do to him. He waited for a long time, but finally his flames disappeared._ 'Kabus. That was the sword again, wasn't it?'_ **Sword? What do you mean?** _'Did I forget to tell you? My adoptive father told me the sword I'm looking for, for my father, is a sword that seals my powers. When drawn, my powers come out and exceedingly harder to control then if I summon them myself. It also causes my bloodlust to flare very badly.'_ **Ah! So the sword is the switch!** _'Yes. And Samael has it. It appears now that he's using it to test me.'_ **Look at how perceptive you've become. Color me impressed**. _'Anyway, we should turn on the lights and head back to the others.'_ And Rin did just that. The lights came back on and when he returned to the room, he discovered everyone was okay. As soon as he entered the room, Suguro came charging at him and knocked him down.

"What the hell is wrong with you!? You wanna get killed!?" he said, as he got ready for another punch.

"Ahh! Why do you wanna kill me!?" said Rin as he dodged Suguro's attack. Soon afterwards, Yukio returned, way before his 'Three Hours'. Noticing his brother, Rin said,

"Yukio!? Where the hell have you been!?" However, before his brother could explain himself, Mephisto dropped into the room from out of the ceiling, knocking Rin to the floor. "MEPHISTO!? What the hell…. Someone wanna explain what the hell is going on!?" Mephisto was the one who responded to Rin's outburst.

"You didn't think I'd let an upper level demon walk right onto my campus do you? Sorry kiddies! But this was no ordinary boot camp! But in fact, it was you Exwire Authorization Exam!" Everyone gave him very confused and worried looks. "And you were never in any REAL danger. We had staff member posted all around the building." With a snap of his fingers, teachers revealed themselves out of the closet, the floorboards and the ceiling. "These teachers have been watching you and keeping notes on each of you. After I read their reports I will be the one to decide if you become Exwires or not!" Mephisto looked to Rin for a moment and thought to himself, _'That's twice now that I have drawn Kurikara. And neither time has he gone on a rampage and killed someone. Certainly if he were a demon, the releasing of his powers would be enough to send him on a killing spree. However, he didn't. So I guess I'll return it to Fujimoto. I'll have to come with a lie of where I found it though….'_ "Anyway! I'll be off! I can't WAIT to see how you all did!" After Mephisto left, Rin and the others were taken to the infirmary to be treated for their temptaints. After that, they all went back to their rooms and fell asleep, awaiting tomorrow to see if they will become Exwires or not.

**AN: (1) I HATE THIS! Well I dont HATE it, but its really annoying! I have to write in all this 'filler' of stuff that happens in the anime and manga and I don't like doing it! Its long and tedious, but sadly it's necessary. *sighs* Oh well! Also, I want to apologize if this chapter felt rushed or too short or undetailed. I'm not really good at writing things I've already seen or read before. Its just boring to me. Anyway, I still hope you liked it and prepare yourselves for some feels in the next chapter! Like always, pleas leaves comments and review so I can know if you liked this chapter or not!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hey everyone! Quick little thing I want to mention. If you read my ANs at all you know that I dislike rewriting things that have already happened. So, instead of rewriting the whole battle with , I decided to just skip it and pretend that it's in there :D Besides, that part of the story holds no real relevance to the story in it's entirety.**

**Disclaimer : I do not own Ao no Exorcist**

_[ In Assiah, The Cram School ]_

"CONGRATULATIONS, my young paiges! You have all been promoted to the rank of Exwires!" Mephisto was very loud and overly obnoxious in his announcement, but nobody seemed to care considering the news they were receiving. They were all one step closer to becoming Exorcists. Rin, even though he shouldn't have cared about it, was ecstatic that he had passed. He was greatly looking forward to live as an Exorcist. "And to celebrate, I'm taking all of you out to eat!"

"Yea!" yelled Rin. "Where are we goin'?"

"We're going for pancakes!" said Mephisto. This made the boys a little saddened, they were hoping for something more meaty like a barbeque place. However, they all went, mainly because it would have been rude not to. Once they arrived, all the Exwires immediately launched into conversations. However, in the middle of the meal, Mephisto excused himself to make a phone call. He called up Fujimoto.

"Fujimoto, I was some good news."

"And what would that be, Mephisto?" asked the priest.

"Well there are three things. One, your son, Rin, has become an Exwire! Two, I have decided, after continual monitoring, that he is in fact quite human, and hasn't given in to his demonic side. Lastly, I found the Kurikara sword." Luckily for Fujimoto, he hadn't been drinking anything or else he would have spit it out everywhere. In a very surprised voice he said to Mephisto,

"What!? Where? It's been missing for the past five months!"

"I found it in the possession of some humans. It would appear that Astaroth left it at his host's house, but then his host's mother found it and gave it away, believing it to be too dangerous to keep in her home. From there it was passed down a long chain of mortals and eventually ended up at an auction house."

"And NOBODY discovered the flames?"

"Well obviously SOMEONE did. Otherwise Rin wouldn't have burst into flames the other day. However, if they told anyone, everyone would just call them crazy."

"You have a point… So now what?"

"What do you mean?"

"Back when we first lost it, you said you wanted to hold onto it. It that still the case?" asked Fujimoto, curiously.

"No, it isn't actually. I wanted it because I believed that when Rin returned he would be a crazy, bloodthirsty demon. Since that's not the case, I have no need to hold on to the sword and therefore want to entrust it into your care. Do with it as you will. Give it to the boy if you wish. He IS training to be a knight after all."

"I'll think about it. Thank you Mephisto. When can I expect the sword?"

"I will drop it off later tonight." Mephisto responded.

"Okay, see you then." Mephisto hung up his phone and walked back into the pancake restaurant. Little did he know, he was playing right into Rin's hands.

**[ The following night ]**

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

Fujimoto had called up Yukio and had asked him and Rin to come over for the weekend for a visit. The Okumura twins thought it was a little strange for their father to ask for a visit, but they did as he asked. They arrived a little after 5pm; Dinner time. Rin, who had been hungry since 2, asked Izumi and Maruta, the two priests who were in charge of cooking dinner for the night, if they wanted his help. They both gladly accepted it. The three of them worked quickly and efficiently to make the meal. Meanwhile, Fujimoto was talking to Yukio.

"Yukio, I need to ask you something about Rin," Fujimoto said in a hushed voice.

"What do you need to know?" replied Yukio.

"How is he doing, swordsmanship wise?" At this, Yukio raised an eyebrow, but said,

"He's doing fine. He seems to be naturally gifted with his sword."

"And his abilities?"

"I haven't started his training in the use of them, but for the most part he seems to be able to keep them under control. Why are you asking all of this now?" Fujimoto sighed, knowing that after he had asked all these questions he couldn't hide the truth from his son.

"Mephisto recently recovered the Kurikara sword and gave it to me. I'm thinking of giving to Rin." Yukio was fairly shocked, but he looked at his father and said,

"I think you should. I believe Rin is ready to for it."

"Thank you, Yukio." Soon after their conversation, Rin and the others had completed dinner and had called everyone to come, sit down, and eat. The meal they had prepared was, coincidentally, Rin's favorite, Sukiyaki. _'Man! Am I glad the old man asked us to come home for the weekend! This is great!'_ During the meal, Nagatomo sparked up a conversation with Rin about how classes were going so far.

"So Rin," said Nagatomo. "How is live going over at True Cross?"

"Well, I was recently promoted to the rank of Exwire, so now I'm cleared to go on actual missions! So that was pretty exciting. Although, they made the test very sneaky. I didn't even know I was taking it!"

"Yea," chimed in Izumi, the Aria. "that sounds like something Mephisto would do. That guy likes everything to be a surprise." The conversation continued for a short while, until Fujimoto spoke up, changing the subject.

"Rin, I heard there was an attack on the school awhile ago. How long was it? A few days or so? A week maybe? Three were killed, if I remember correctly. Did you know any of them?" Rin had nearly forgotten about the three people he had killed. He had tried to push it out of his mind completely, but here his father was, making him remember the horrible thing he had done.

"No I didn't. Yukio told me that there were signs of human involvement, and from what I heard, the bodies were pretty torn up. Almost like a demon did it. They never caught the killer either. And it is still a mystery as to if the killer was a human or a demon. But, most people think it was a human. I feel bad for the kids and their families. It must've been very hard." Towards the end of his little 'speech' Rin started to look down, feeling more and more guilty and sad. Fujimoto, noticing his son's unrest, asked him,

"Hey, Rin. What's wrong."

"Huh? Oh nothing… It just makes me sad to think about is all." Fujimoto smiled. He thought he Rin was sad because of the poor families that had lost their children, but that wasn't the case. Rin was just sad that he wasn't able to stop himself from killing the poor defenseless boys. Wanting to change the subject again, Rin asked Fujimoto,

"So how's your Paladin work going? Any cool or interesting missions?"

"Nah, not really. I haven't been out in the field much lately. Which is strange, because there are numerous things that I could be doing. However, I only go when I'm called, so for now I'm just relaxing here at home and holding mass on Sundays."

"Oh, cool." Soon afterwards everyone had finished dinner and Kyodo and Nagatomo, the two who didn't help cook dinner, went to wash and dry the dishes. Rin left the room, heading towards his bedroom, wanting to read some mangas that he had left behind. However, before he could do so, his father called him over to his office.

"Yea?" asked Rin as he took a seat in front of his father. Fujimoto stared at his son from across his desk and said in a very serious tone,

"Rin, I want to give something to you, but you have to promise me something if I give it to you."

"And what is that? And what are you giving me?" Rin asked, very curious. Suddenly, Kabus spoke up in Rin's mind. **Rin! Do you sense that!? That feels like you, but at the same time, not you. If your right and the sword were looking for has your powers sealed in it, then theres a good chance that it would feel like you. Do you think that's what the Paladin wants to give you?** _'Maybe if you shut up, I would be able to find out!'_ Rin roared at Kabus. He had indeed sensed the presence and had wondered that too. However, he was originally going to wait until night to look for it's source, but this worked too.

"I'm going to entrust you with something. I want you to promise me you will not use it unless absolutely necessary, Understood? It is a last resort, at least until you become stronger."

"Yea, I promise."

"Good. Now here, take this." Fujimoto pulled out a sword that was practically brimming with power. Rin could sense that THIS was definitely the sword that seal his powers and was the one he was sent to retrieve._ 'It's funny. I barely looked for the damn thing and it has somehow made it's way into my hands regardless.'_

"Is this what I think it is?" asked Rin, acting as if he didn't already know what was handed to him.

"Yes. This is the sword that has sealed your powers since you were born. I am entrusting it to you." Rin got up and out of respect bowed to Fujimoto and said,

"Thank you." _ 'I guess this means my job here in Assiah is done…. But I don't know if I want to go back...'_ Rin walked out of his dad's office and back to his bedroom. **I'm sorry, Young Prince, but we can't stay in Assiah any longer than necessary. These are your Father's orders. I will go send word to him through some of the demons I know, I will be back soon.**_ 'Okay...'_ Rin lay in his bed and waited. That night, he would return to Gehenna.

**[ Later That Night ]**

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

Kabus had returned around 10 and said that as soon as we went outside of the building, the Gehenna Gate would be opened and they he and Rin could go through. So, Rin gathered the few things he had, including the Kurikara sword, and proceeded to the courtyard of the monastery. Just as Kabus said, the Gehenna Gate opened for him. This one was rather small, for a Gehenna Gate, but it fit Rin's needs. He was about to walk through the gate when he heard someone call out from behind him in horror.

"RIN!?" it was Yukio. "DAD! GET OUT HERE NOW!" Yukio started running for Rin, but Rin raised his hand and said,

"I'm sorry Yukio, but don't come any closer." Yukio stood stock still, his mind was racing. What was going on?

"Rin, what are you doing!? Get away from that thing!"

"Again Yukio, I'm sorry, but father commanded me to."

"Father…? No… No you don't mean…" However, before he could respond to his ramblings, Rin noticed that Fujimoto and the other four priests had all came out of the monastery and were now staring at him.

"Rin. What are you doing?" Fujimoto said in a calm and hard tone.

"Sorry old man, but I'm going back to Gehenna. Its…. Its what I've been ordered to do…"

"Don't listen to them Rin! Those demons lie! Satan lies! He doesn't care about you like we do! Were your family! He just wants you for your power! He's using you!" Rin stopped for a moment. He knew what Fujimoto was saying was true, but he didn't know what would happen if he disobeyed Satan's orders.

"I… I… I don't know what to do…" Rin whispered, mostly to himself. Fujimoto began to walk closer to his son, almost in arms reach.

"Rin. Just step away from the gate, okay? We can talk all of this out."

"O-Okay…" However, when Rin started to walk away, something happened. Kabus sprung into action. Revealing himself, he allowed his form to return to that of the fog. Once he was in his fog form, he latched onto Rin and started to drag him away. He spoke into everyone's minds. **Sorry, but I can't let you foolish humans blind our young prince. Under orders of Lord Satan, I will bring him back to Gehenna.** Rin, who struggled against Kabus' grasp yelled out in angry,

"But I've decided! I don't want to go back! Screw Satan!"** Hmph… It appears being near these humans have tainted you. We'll have to fix that.**

"Let go of me!" Rin, realizing Kabus wasn't going to let go, got an idea. "Yukio! Catch!" Even though his through wasn't very good because his arm was constructed, he still managed to through the sword far enough for Yukio to get it. "The whole point of my mission was that sword! Without it, he wouldn't DARE take me back." Yukio grabbed the sword, but at the same time, so did the fog. They had a little tug of war going, and seeing his struggles, the four priests joined in. Even though there was five of them, they were barely able to stop the sword of moving closer to the Gehenna Gate. During their struggles, Kabus just held Rin suspended in air, he was more focused on getting the sword at the moment. Rin turned to Fujimoto, who had a very disappointed look on his face.

"Why Rin?"

"I'm Sorry! I thought that it was what I wanted! I was convinced that humans were evil and bad and twisted. I was also angry at you guys for not telling me anything…"

"Rin. How long have you been planning this?"

"Every since I arrived the first day. I was told to act like I had amnesia and once I had the sword in my possession I was to return…"

"What happened to you in Gehenna?"

"Horrible and twisted things….. I don't even want to remember them… Looking back on it, it was all done to turn me into a demon… To make me forget my values and beliefs. To make me not care about my family…" Rin started to cry. He couldn't believe he had allowed himself to fall so far as to give in and become a demon. "I NEVER WANTED THAT TO HAPPEN!" he roared still crying. "Bu-But… I gave in. I let him do whatever to me. I needed to, to survive. I listened to whatever he told me to do, without complaint or speculation. I-I…."

"It's okay Rin. You're home now." Rin looked up at his father and stared him straight in the eye. He still couldn't stop the tears that were coming out. Back over at Yukio and the others, they were quickly losing ground and Kabus was getting the sword closer and closer to the Gehenna Gate. Yukio called out to Fujimoto,

"Dad! We need to get Rid of this guy! And fast!" Fujimoto, not having turned away from Rin, asked him,

"Rin, what is the name of this demon? Do you know it?" Rin sniffled for a second, trying to pull himself together. **NO! Rin, don't listen to them! There just filthy humans! They are lying!** But Rin, paid no attention to Kabus' words. He knew that Kabus was the one who was filled with lies, as were all demons.

"His name is Kabus." said Rin.

"Kabus….." said Fujimoto thoughtfully. Suddenly he snapped his fingers and said, "I've got it!_ We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright!"_ In the middle of his verse, Kabus dropped the sword and Rin, focusing everything on stopping the old man, however, he spoke too fast for Kabus to react. He soon finished his verse. _ "We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!"_ When he finished reciting his verse the fog faded and Kabus was vanquished. Rin, falling to his knees, continued to cry. Fujimoto went over to him and crouched down hugging him. Under his breath he could hear Rin say, "I'm sorry." over and over again.

"It's alright Rin. Those demons can't get you now. You're save." Rin sat there for sometime, before he actually hugged his old man back.

"I'm….. home…." he said. Nobody paid much attention to it, but slowly, the Gehenna Gate closed.

_[ Down in the depths of Gehenna, Satan's Throne Room ]_

Satan was in a fit again. However, there wasn't been on this bad since his mortal wife died. He was bruning everyone and everything that dared enter his chambers. He just wanted to be alone with his thoughts._ 'DAMMIT! Those damned Exorcists! They reverted Rin! And after all the hard work I had done to turn him into a demon! Now I have to get him back…. Wow… Do I really have to do that…. The last time I asked for those guys for help they nearly fell over dead in excitement…..'_ Satan sighed. He rarely ever asked Satanists to do ANYTHING for fear of them messing it up, they were MORTALS after all. Plus, they did things in such an unsavory fashion, but this situation called for it. He needed to get Rin back, and he would take him by force if he had to. _'Rin, you just made your life so much harder than it had to be…'_

**[ The Next Day ]**

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

Fujimoto had confiscated the Kurikara sword for obvious reasons. Rin had to rebuild his trust after the stunt he pulled, but Rin didn't seem to mind that, he thought it was fair. What Rin DID mind was them putting some weird binding on his tail. It was just a 'Safety Precaution' in case Rin ever did something that went against the Exorcists. Technically speaking, Rin's threat level increased tremendously considering the fact that he had been training as a demon for five months in Gehenna. However, Rin had changed back to normal. He no longer wanted to have anything to do with Satan or Gehenna and he was glad about that. However, the morning after the incident, Rin was swamped with questions.

"So what exactly did you learn in Gehenna?" Fujimoto asked at breakfast.

"Well lets see. I learned the 'basics' of demonology, how to fight with a sword to an advanced level, and I learned to sense and communicate with other demons. The one thing I was never taught was how to control my flames though, that was supposed to take place after this mission."

"Okay. What sort of things did Satan make you do."

"Nothing much. Mainly killing other demons, but…."

"But?" Rin looked down in embarrassment, he was ashamed of the thing he was about to admit to his father.

"But… I have developed a sort of bloodlust… I can't control that either…. Its a very unsettling feeling."

"A… Bloodlust….?" Suddenly, Fujimoto made the connection. "Rin…. please don't tell me…." Rin didn't need to say anything, his guilty face said it all. Fujimoto looked at his son was disgust and was nearly about to yell at him and throw him out, but then he saw the tears come down Rin's face.

"I couldn't stop myself…" he said, clenching his fists. "I tried. I tried so hard…. but I-I just couldn't…" Fujimoto's face softened, just a little. He didn't know how he was going to handle the situation, considering that he was harboring a criminal. He also couldn't tell the Vatican, or else they'd execute him for sure. **(1)**

"Rin, you do realise what you did was wrong, right?" Rin looked at him, and angry crossed his face.

"OF COURSE I DO!" Rin shouted. "I just… Couldn't stop…" Fujimoto sighed,_ 'I can't really DO anything here. He's just going to have to wallow in his guilt. That will have to be punishment enough. And hopefully, God will have mercy on his soul.'_

"Don't worry. I'll help you get it under control. I want you to report here every weekend for training. You and me are going to work to get you bloodlust, as you called it, and you powers under control. Also, if you ever feel like you might lose it and try to kill someone again, head to your dorm. I'm having Shura set up a complex barrier that, once active, will keep everyone inside, inside and everyone outside, outside. The barrier also can't be deactivated by anyone but me, Yukio or Shura. That way, we can help you calm down." Rin looked up at him and smiled.

"Thanks, dad. I'm not sure if I even deserve this much kindness from you." Fujimoto just smiled at his son._ 'It's the least I can do,'_ thought Fujimoto, _'Considering the suffering I caused you to go through...'_

**AN:(1) If you confused this is referring to Rin killing the three boys. Fujimoto knows about it, which he mentioned earlier in the chapter. **

**HEY! Sorry this chapter is a little on the short side. Anyway, PLEASE let me know what you thought of this chapter. Was it too rushed? Too slow? Too boring? IDK! I want to know so that in the future, when I try to write more touching moments, I can do better.**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: HEY ALL! Just wanted to let you all now that I'm sorry chapter 9 was kinda rushed. Sorry about that, but that may or may not change. I'm fairly new to writing, but I enjoy it. Thank you to all of those people who have been letting me know what I'm doing good, what I'm doing bad and what I can improve on. I really appreciate all the feedback!**

**PS: This chapter may involve needless and random amounts of killing :D mainly because I'm pissed and a tad bit of a sadist, so killing people in a fictional story makes me happy :D Also, i changed the cover art, because the original one didn't make Rin seem demonic enough for me.**

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

After his conversation with his father, Rin decided to go for a small walk. He didn't go very far from the Monastery, always staying within eyesight of the place, but he just wanted to be alone for a little while and clear his thoughts. _'How could I have been so weak….. I let Satan walk all over and tell me what to do. I killed three innocent people, because I wasn't strong enough to stop myself. I lied to my family and was about to willingly leave them….'_ After he walked around the block several times, Rin decided to go to a nearby park, where he would often go when he wanted to be alone. He made his way to the park and was surprised to see it empty. It was roughly 12:30 on a Sunday, so the place should be crawling with little kids. However, this wasn't the case. Rin, not dwelling on the fact, just sat down on one of the swings and continued to wallow in this thoughts. After what felt like an hour, but in actuality was only 10 minutes, Yukio showed up, knowing where to find Rin. The two hadn't spoken since the incident last night, and Rin wasn't looking forward to the conversation that they were about to have. Yukio was the first one to speak.

"Rin. Are you okay?" Rin was about to shake it off and force a smile and pretend like everything was alright. But both he and Yukio knew it wasn't. So instead he responded,

"No. No, I'm not okay…" Yukio looked at his brother for a little bit and took a seat next to him on a open swing.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"What's there to talk about? I'm sure the old man told you what happened to the three kids." Yukio just nodded his head sadly.

"I know dad probably already asked you this, but….. Why Rin?" At this Rin got a little upset and angry.

"I already said I didn't mean to!"

"I'm not talking about the guys! I'm talking about lying to us!" This caught Rin a little off guard. He hadn't really thought about how his family would feel and react to him lying.

"Uh…. Well… Like I said, I was just listening to…." Rin didn't want to or feel the need to finish his sentence. He knew Yukio knew who he was talking about.

"But why did you listen to him!?"

"Because I didn't have a choice!" Rin growled. Yukio looked into his brother's eyes and saw the hurt that was in them.

"And why is that?" Yukio asked in a calm, soothing voice. Rin remained silent, not wanting to talk about it. However, Yukio just repeated himself, "Rin. Why didn't you have a choice? What happened?"

"It was hell Yukio…. All I did was kill and destroy, kill and destroy, kill and destroy. Over and over and over. It was insanity. Eventually, I just gave up. I couldn't take all the blood, all the death. I sort of just gave in. And before I knew it, I was seeing everything differently. The blood became an enjoyable sight, death didn't mean anything… and above all else… I developed a hatred towards you and dad. At first I would dream that you would come to save me, to bring me back. But that never happened…. and I started to resent you. I started to wish that I could…" Rin cut himself off, not really wanting to finish the statement, but Yukio urged him on.

"Could what, Rin?"

"That I could kill you guys…" A few tears dripped down Rin's face. He hated to admit it, but when he had given up, he had also grown to hate his family. He had wished their deaths. Yukio just stared at his brother, sympathetically.

"Oh, Rin…" he said. He stood up and hugged his brother, awkwardly. They sat there for a while hugging eachother for a while until Rin said,

"Thank you. I needed that…"

"Come on. We have to get back to the dorms, we have school tomorrow." Yukio said, as he let go of Rin.

"I'm not sure if I can go back there… Not after what I did…"

"It's okay Rin. We'll help you through this. You have to remember, you're not alone anymore. You have us, your family, to depend on." This made Rin feel better, but only slightly. He got up and they walked back to the monastery to say their goodbyes, before they left for the dorms. Rin hugged hugged his dad and said to him,

"So, on the weekends right? I'm supposed to come back to train?"

"That's right." Yukio, having already said his goodbyes to his father, used a key to open a door to their dorms. Yukio stepped through, followed by Rin, however, before he shut the door, Fujimoto called out to him. "And Rin? If you need talk, or something, I'm always here." Rin smiled at his father.

"Thanks, Dad." Rin shut the door and began to walk to his room, Yukio slightly ahead of him. However, they both heard a large THUMP that sounded like someone dropped something along with voices and. This was strange, because they were the only ones living there. The twins quickened their pace until they reached their room. The weren't expecting what they found. Their room was ransacked. Everything was torn up and thrown all across the ground. Thier bed sheets, mangas, and some of their clothes were all shredded. Not only that, but the windows were smashed to pieces and their wooden desks had axe marks in them like someone had tried to cut them in half, but had given up.

"They must still be nearby, considering we heard them. Quickly, lets look for them." said Yukio. Rin just stared at the mess.

"Who would do something like this?"

"I don't know, but were going to find out."

"You go ahead. I think I'm just going to stay here and clean up." Rin didn't even have a hint of anger in his voice. It was extremely out of character.

"Rin, you aren't upset about all this? Don't you want to go find who did it?"

"Not really. It doesn't really matter does it?" Yukio stared at his brother in complete shock. _'He's acting all depressed! Was he really hurt that badly?'_ Yukio thought to himself.

"Well, I'm heading out. I'm going to report this to Mephisto as well."

"Whatever." Rin seemed to just sulk._ 'Killing those boys probably weighs very heavily on his mind.'_ Without another word, Yukio left the room, off to search for the ones responsible, leaving Rin to his thoughts once again. Rin didn't know how long he just sat in the torn up room, but, after awhile, he started to mindlessly clean up the mess. _'Maybe I deserved this...'_ Rin thought to himself.

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

Fujimoto was staring at the door his sons left through, contemplating his thoughts. He may not have shown it through his rough exterior, but inside he was hurting greatly. He had wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come. He didn't know whether to be angry at Rin or angry at himself. In the end he decided he should be angry at himself. If he had told Rin about everything earlier, things may have turned out differently. Maybe he wouldn't have been taken away. His own son, the one he had raised for 15 years, had been so easily taken away from him and gave into his demonic instincts **(1)**. He had never fathomed that something like that could ever happen. And it was all his fault. After a while of not moving, Nagatomo, the tamer, came up to Fujimoto.

"Sir, you know it wasn't your fault." Even though Fujimoto's emotions were hard to read, Nagatomo was always able to tell how Fujimoto was feeling. "At least hes back now, right?"

"Yes, I guess." Fujimoto let his head drop. "But, I still can't shake this feeling of despair. He was gone for five months! Demons breathing down his neck, filling his head with lies, the entire time! It got so bad to the point that he was willing to lie and betray us… I can't help but think what might of happened had he returned to Gehenna last night."

"Father Fujimoto, you can't keep beating yourself up over this. We just have to move on. He's back AND he's back to normal, for the most part."

"Yea… I guess you're right." Although, Fujimoto couldn't help but continue to feel bad about what had happened. He would now and forever, blame himself for what happened to Rin. And he would do everything in his power to make it up to him. "You know what, Nagatomo?"

"What, sir?"

"I'm going to start back up as a teacher at the cram school."

"What!? I thought you retired because it was 'boring'," replied the tamer.

"I did! But, I want to spend more time with Rin and help him out. Plus, just think about how surprised he'll be!" For what seemed liked the first time in the past five month, Fujimoto was genuinely happy. He decided that, although he won't forgive himself for what happened to Rin, it was in the past. And wallowing in his sorrows wasn't going to help anyone. Fujimoto was about to run off to call Mephisto and ask for his job back, when Nagatomo called after him.

"Wait! Father Fujimoto! Your job was taken by Yukio, remember?" Fujimoto stopped, realizing Nagatomo was right. However, that didn't make Fujimoto change his mind.

"Whatever! I'm sure they have SOME open slot for me there!" Fujimoto scurried off to call Mephisto. He was very excited. He wanted to show Rin that he would be there for him, no matter what.

_[ In Assiah, The Old Boys Dormitory ]_

Rin had cleaned up everything, but most of their stuff had to be thrown out because it was too ripped up and shredded to be used. For example, their bedsheets, mangas, and some of their clothes had to be thrown away because of the tears in them. Along with throwing away the ruined stuff, Rin had swept up all the broken glass that had been spewed across the ground because of windows being shattered. After he had finished cleaning the room, Rin decided to move everything that HADN'T been destroyed into the next room over. He didn't want to sleep in a room where the windows would be 'open' all night. While he was moving all his and Yukio's things into the new room, he heard a noise coming from down stairs. At first he thought it was just Yukio, because it sounded like foot steps, but then he realized that there were more than just one set of footsteps. _'Did those assholes come back?'_ Quietly, Rin set down the stuff he was carrying and ran into a hiding spot. It wasn't like he COULDN'T take on however was here, it's just he didn't know how many people he was dealing with. _'How the hell did they get in anyway? I thought dad said he had Shura set up a barrier only he, Yukio, and Shura could get through. Wait, he said it would do that, 'once active'. How do I know when it's active?'_ Rin, having decided to hide in a nearby closet, had the door open very slightly, so that he could barely see out of it. As he was pondering his thoughts, he saw two people, both exorcists, and both dragoons, start coming down the hallway. They were whispering to each other, but Rin was able to pick up on their conversation, thanks to his enhanced hearing.

"So, the younger one, Yukio was it, already left?" asked the man on the left.

"Yes, that leaves the older one, Rin, all alone. He shouldn't be too hard to capture." replied the man on the right. The man on right seemed really big and muscular, while the one on the left was puny and seemed weak.

"Man! I can't believe they came home while we were ransacking their room! Talk about bad luck!" after a short pause, the man spoke again. "Why are we doing this again?"

"Because, HE told us too." replied the muscular one.

"Oh… Right." Rin watched as the two slowly made there way down the hall, guns raised. They meticulously searched every room and every closet, slowly making their way to Rin's hiding spot._ 'Why the hell do they want me? Don't tell me these are more of those Satanists, Kabus was talking about. Dammit...'_ Rin fumbled around in his pocket for his phone. Once he got it, he quickly texted the message, **Help! Weirdos are at dorm!** and sent it to Yukio._ 'Well there's no way in HELL I'm falling for this shit again.'_ Rin crouched down in a defensive position, waiting for the two strangers to reach his hiding spot. However, they never made it. Almost INSTANTLY after Rin sent the text to his brother, a nearby door opened and Yuki spun out gun raised at the intruders._ 'Hmph. He must've used a key.'_ Not even bothering to question the two, Yukio fired at them. This surprised Rin greatly. He got out of his hiding space and ran to Yukio, yelling,

"What the hell, Yukio!?"

"Calm down," his brother replied. "There just tranq darts." Rin looked at the now unconscious intruders. He gave a small sigh of relief.

"So who are they?" asked Rin.

"Don't know. Never seen them before. I'm going to call back Mephisto and tell him what happened. Take their weapons and check to see if they have their ID's on them."

"Got it!" As Yukio made his phone call, Rin did as he was told. Lucky for Rin, they BOTH had their ID's on them. The muscular one was named Thomas Sawyer and the weak looking one was named Desmond Lloyd. They were both lower-middle class exorcists, one class below Yukio, and were both dragoon class meisters._ 'Why the hell would these guys wreck our room? I didn't realize it before, but MAN I'M PISSED!'_ Yukio returned to see his brother staring angrily at the two men, his tail twitching back and forth to further showing his anger.

"Rin, I called Mephisto. He'll be here soon with a team of Exorcists, so tuck your tail in." Rin looked behind him, at his tail. He had forgotten he was supposed to hid it. Mainly because ever since he had burst into flames at the cram school, he didn't need to hid it from Yukio or his family, so he could have it out at places like the monastery and their dorm room. Quickly, Rin tucked his tail away.

"Yukio, why would these assholes destroy our room?"

"Well we don't KNOW it was th-" but before Yukio could finish his statement, Rin interrupted him.

"Yea we do. I heard them talking about how we had come back in the middle of the doing it. And when you left, they came searching for me."

"Really? They specifically said they were coming for YOU?"

"Uh… Yea? Is that a big deal?"

"Yes Rin! It is! This probably means they know about your secret!"

"Oh.." of course Rin had already made that connection, he didn't want to explain the whole 'Satanists' thing to his brother right now. He decided he would later. It wasn't long before Mephisto showed up with a small group of Exorcists. Some of the Exorcists carried away the two unconscious ones while Mephisto and another Exorcists questioned Rin and Yukio about the incident.

"So," asked Mephisto, "what exactly happened?" Rin launched into his explanation of the events that transpired. How he had cleaned up the room, heard them coming, hid, and sent the text. He also went on to tell them about their conversation, although he left out the part where they said they wanted to capture him. He wanted to tell Mephisto that in private. After the Exorcists finished interrogating Rin, he moved on to Yukio. Mephisto was about to go with the Exorcist, but Rin pulled on his sleeve.

"Wait a sec," he said. Rin leaned into Mephisto and whispered into his ear, so that nobody else could hear him. "These guys, I don't know why but they were after me. I left it out, but while I was overhearing their conversation, they said that some guy that they referred to as 'HE' wanted them to capture me. They didn't say anything else."

"And why didn't tell this to the exorcist who was interrogating you?" replied Mephisto in a hushed tone.

"Because, I believe it has to go with me being the son of Satan."

"OOH! How intriguing. I will look into the matter." Mephisto responded, in a slightly obnoxious tone. Without another word, Mephisto got up and proceeded to interrogate Yukio with the other Exorcist._ 'What the hell did these guys even want?'_ Soon after they were done with Yukio, Mephisto and his group of Exorcists left with the two intruders.

"Hey, Yukio. I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but I moved all of our un-damaged stuff into the room next to ours, Room 603."

"Oh, Thanks Rin."

"Don't mention it." Rin, looking out the window, was a little startled to see the sun going down. He looked at his watch and saw that it was already 6:00pm. "WOW! That did NOT feel like five hours! I have to start dinner!" Rin took off down the hall, hurrying into the kitchen to start dinner. Yukio couldn't help but to smile._ 'He seems more like himself now. That's good, he was worrying me a little, acting all depressed.'_ Yukio slowly made his way down to the cafeteria, where he waited patiently for his brother to make dinner.

_[ In Assiah, True Cross Academy (Later that night)]_

Rin was in the forest clearing. He didn't remember how he got there, only that he was there. He was standing in the center hands raised and exorcists all around aiming guns at him.

"Rin Okumura, Exwire. You are accused of being the son of Satan. It has been decreed the you are an enemy of the Order and are to be eliminated on sight. Any last words?" Rin looked for the source. It was his brother, Yukio. He had a mega phone and was standing behind some of the exorcists that were taking aim at him.

"Yukio!? What the hell is going on?"

"Nice dying words." All the Exorcists opened fire on Rin, but something happened before they hit him. Rin erupted in flames, burning any and all bullets that touched them. Along with the flames, Rin's bloodlust came back as well. However, this time Rin at least TRIED to control it.

"Stop it! Get away from me! I'll kill all of you!"

"Yea you will!" yelled a random exorcist. "That's why we gotta kill YOU first!"

"No! Stop! I don't want to hurt you!"

"You're lying!" yelled another exorcist. "All you want to do is kill and destroy things! You filthy demon!"

"Please….! Run!" But none of them heeded Rin's warnings. They all continued to shoot at him in an attempt to kill him. However, Rin snapped, just like he did with the three boys. He roared up at the air and then went charging for the nearest exorcists, ripping them to shreds. He moved to the next one, burning them alive. He continued to kill and maim all the exorcists. It was a blood bath. Rin was covered in head to toe in the stuff, enjoying every minute of it. Soon, only his brother remained alive. Rin was about to kill him too, but was able to stop himself, if only for just a moment.

"Yu-ki..O. R-Run! I-I can-can't stop my-self!" Rin stuttered out. It was taking every fiber of his being to not attack and kill Yukio, especially because his hand was covered in blood from trying to save a dying exorcist. However, instead of running, Yukio pulled out his pistols and started shooting Rin. Just like before, the bullets were burned away, and Rin could hear his brother shouting over the noise of his gun.

"Don't say my name you demon! You don't deserve to speak it! All you deserve to do is die!" This shattered Rin. His own brother hated him this much to actually try and kill him!

"Yukio…! Pl-Please! Run!" But Yukio didn't move he just kept firing. Rin, having tried his best to stop, gave in. He launched himself at Yukio and tore off his head.

The next thing Rin knew he was awake, screaming. Yukio had woken up from his brother's shouts and crossed the room, putting his hand on Rin's shoulder. He said to him,

"Rin! Calm down! It was just a dream." Rin gradually started to calm down, but he was sweating and panting hard._ 'Was it really all a dream? It felt so… real...'_ After Rin had clamed down a little more, Yukio asked, "What happened? What was your dream about." But Rin wasn't at liberty to share.

"I'd rather not say…" Yukio, just looked worriedly at his brother. However, he respected his brother's privacy and so, he didn't press the matter any further.

"Well, try and go back to bed. We have school tomorrow."

"Right…." Rin laid there for some time, unsettled by the dream. He didn't like how it had made him feel. Mainly because, deep down, part of him had taken great pleasure in the dream. Just like how part of him had taken great pleasure in killing the boys._ 'It was just a dream…. calm down...'_ After a little while, Rin was able to fall back asleep and he didn't have another dream for the rest of the night. **(2)**

**AN: (1) HA! GET IT!? HA HA…. I'm sorry….**

**(2) Okay, honestly, who here thought it was a dream? I want to know if anyone had predicted that! Because my sister read this and she said it was very predictable.**

**Also, that's was that little sadist part I was talking about. I hadn't originally planned for it to be a dream, but then decided it would be the best way, because adding in a random scene where he killed people would make much sense. Anyway, please review and let me know what you thought!**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: HEY ALL! THIS ONE IS A LONG ONE! I had originally planned to release them As two separate smaller chapters, but while I was writing I didn't keep track of the word count, so I don't know where half-way point is! So Instead it's just one long one. **  
**MEGA IMPORTANT: Special Shout out and Thanks to mummy okumura! Without her, this chapter wouldn't be NEARLY as good as it is!**

**Disclaimer: I Don't Own Ao no Exorcist.**

**[ The Next Day ]**

_[ In Assiah, The Cram School ]_

After Rin's unsettling dream, he had gone back to sleep. Although he had only slept for two hour before his alarm went off for school. And it wasn't his normal alarm that went off. It was his LATE alarm. He jumped out of bed and looked at the time.

"Dammit Yukio!" He shouted. Seeing that it was 6:40am, 20 minutes before his first class started, Rin quickly went, got showered, dressed, and ate breakfast as fast as possible. After he had accomplished his morning routine, it was 6:55. Rin sighed in relief and retrieved his cram school key from his pocket. He quickly made his way to the classroom and plopped down in his usual seat next to Shiemi.

"Hey Shiemi! How was your weekend?"

"It's was good, although my mom wouldn't let me out of the house."

"What? Why not?"

"Didn't you hear? There's a murderer on the loose! They killed three people on Saturday!" This made Rin get all tense. He really didn't want to talk about it, but avoiding the topic would make him seem suspicious. So instead, he just replied,

"Yea I heard. Scary, isn't it? I'm sure they'll catch the guy sooner or later, so, we should be all right."

"I hope so…" Rin could see how scared Shimei really was about the situation, so to calm her down, he tried switching topics.

"So did ya hear? Yukio told me were going to start self defence classes with a new teacher. Although, he said he didn't know how the teacher was."

"Yea. Everyone got emailed the new schedule. It's basicly the same, just with this self defence class happening after lunch."

"I don't know about you, but I can't wait until we get to meet this new teacher. I hope he or she isn't as boring as most the ones we have now."

"Rin! Our teachers aren't boring!"

"They why do I always fall asleep when I hear them talk?" he said with a sly smile spreading across his face. Before Shiemi could counter his witty statement, Yukio walked in a their class begun. Rin took this time to really think about his life. _'What am I going to do now? I was so focused on getting the sword before… but now I don't really have a goal...'_ Rin pondered some of the things he could do, like complete his exorcist training, but what about after that? He didn't know what he would do. Lost in his thoughts, Rin didn't even notice when the bell, signaling the end of the period, sounded. Suguro had to tip Rin's chair back and cause him to fall off, so that he would snap back to reality.

"What the hell was that for!?" Rin roared.

"You weren't responding to anything! The bell rang. It's lunch time."

"WAIT WHAT!? It can't be lunch! I only spaced out for like ten minutes!"

"Yea right! You fell asleep for the first few periods then when you woke up, you were spaced out for the next two." Rin's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Wow…. Thanks for snapping me out of it."

"No problem." Suguro started to walk off with Shima and Konekomaru, however, he called back to Rin, "Hey Okumura, you got anyone to sit with at lunch?"

"Ah.. no, not really."

"You wanna come sit with us?" Rin smiled at them, happily accepting his offer.

"Yea, sure. Thanks!" The four of them walked off to have lunch. Rin, felt happy, and in a weird sense, alive. 'Is this what it feels like to have friends?' Rin smiled at the prospect.

* * *

**[ After Lunch ]**

_[ In Assiah, The Cram School Gym ]_

"Wow!" Rin exclaimed as he entered the gym that was equipped especially for the cram school. "This is WAY bigger than the gyms at my old public school! And way better equipped." After lunch had ended, all the cram school students met up in the gym for thier new self-defence class.

"I'm just curious as to who our teacher will be." replied Shima.

"Yea, I hope it's not some weirdo, like Tsubaki." said Izumo.

"Hey, wait a minute. Isn't Tsubaki the Phys Ed. teacher? Shouldn't HE be teaching us self-defence?" asked Suguro. However, the reply didn't come from one of the students. It came from their new teacher, who was leisurely walking towards them.

"Well, originally yes, but he's been very busy with his work recently, that he has been made the instructor of general fitness and common demon education. He will teach you how to Identify a demon and avoid their attacks, where as I will teach you how to FIGHT and kill demons." Everyone stood there in utter surprise as the Paladin himself came strolling in.

"Old man!? The hell are you doing here!?" Rin shouted.

"Hey Rin! Sorry I didn't tell you sooner! I just wanted to see the look on your face! And MAN it's priceless!" Rin was dumbfounded. His DAD was going to be teaching self defence?

"I don't mean to pry," said Izumo, "But I heard you had retired from your teaching position last year."

"Yes, I did. But I got bored of retirement! So I came back!" Fujimoto said with a laugh, earning more confused looks from his students. "Anyway! Enough about me! Let's get on with the action! Everyone here, I'm sure, has already selected a meister that they wish to achieve correct? Well I want you all to separate into groups. Those of you who are tamers go there, Knights there, Arias there, Dragoons there, and Doctors there. If you are going for more than mone meister please go into Tamer, Knight, or Dragoon before heading into the Aria and Doctor groups." The students slowly organized themselves into their little groups. Shima and Rin were the two knights, Izumo and Shiemi were the tamers, Suguro was the only Dragoon and Konekomaru was the only Aria.

"Perfect!" said Fujimoto. "Now, you," he said pointed towards Konekomaru, "Sorry I don't know you name, but go with Rin and the pink haired kid please. Even though you're studying to be an Aria, you're going to need to know basic hand to hand combat, and that type of fighting falls under the category of Knight. Now, I will work with each of these three groups individually, It's easier that way, considering you all have different fighting styles. For today, the Tamer and Dragoon group can take a load off, I'll be working with the Knights." Izumo seemed neither pleased nor pissed, while Shiemi was fairly relieved. However, Suguro was very upset, and didn't mind showing it, but he never said a word, for fear of angering the Paladin.

"So, what are we gonna do?" asked Rin.

"Well, because Konekomaru is currently in your group, were going to be starting with hand to hand combat, considering he won't be carrying a sword with him. Now, Rin, come here and be an example will ya?"

"Uh, Sure." He said, doing as his dad said. His father positioned him and showed the class the proper battle stance. He explained how the position could be used to easily distribute your opponent's weight to counter-attack.

"Rin, try to throw a punch at me."

"You sure?" Rin asked his dad.

"Just do it."

"Okay." He said with a shrug. Rin through a punch at his father, but it never connected. It one swift moment, his father had grabbed his son's wrist, and crouched down, getting under his son and lifting him above his head. He then proceeded to throw his son. However, what he hadn't expect was for Rin to keep hold of his father's grip. Rin landed from his father's throw and, while keeping the momentum of the throw, flipped Fujimoto. It all happened so fast that the students were shocked at the sight they saw. Rin now had Fujimoto on the ground pinned.

"Honestly," said Rin, in a casual manner, "that was very easy to see coming." His father, more pissed than surprised, wriggled out of his son's grip and pushed himself of the ground.

"Was it really now?" he said. Rin, saw a look in his father's eyes he hadn't seen in a while. It was determination. _'But determined to do what?'_ Suddenly, Fujimoto dashed towards Rin at breakneck speeds. He came at his son, about to punch him square in the face, but Rin easily dodge the forward attack and jabbed his dad in the stomach._ 'I told him that I was trained in Gehenna, didn't I. I think he underestimated me.'_ However, Rin's theroy was shortly proven wrong. Fujimoto grabbed his son's arm, which was still on his stomach, and twisted it backwards, behind Rin's back. He then proceeded to pin his son to the ground, twisting his arm further.

"OKAY! UNCLE! UNCLE! LET GO!" Rin yelled, as he struggled under his father's grip. Fujimoto couldn't help but laugh.

"Honestly Rin, you surprised me there. I thought for a moment that I might lose!" Rin, stilled pinned to the ground just sighed and said,

"No you didn't!"

"Nah! I didn't! Anyway class, that's a little taste of what you'll be learning. Rin here is a little ahead of you in hand to hand combat, but not by much." Fujimoto glanced at his watch. "Darn, sorry I have to cut today's class short. I have an important meeting at four. Anyway, next class period be ready to learn the basics!" Fujimoto hurried off, most likely likely to his meeting. Finally, Rin was free from his father, and stood up, brushing off his clothes.

"Even though you weren't a match for the Paladin, nice going Rin." said Shima.

"Yea! Where did you learn those moves?" asked Konekomaru.

"Gehe-" Rin started. But cut himself short. He had been so open with Yukio and Fujimoto, that he briefly forgotten that his classmates didn't know his secret.

"What was that?" asked Shima.

"Geheja!" Rin exclaimed.

"Geheja? Whats a Geheja?"

"It's not a what! It's a who! He was a martial arts teacher who lived down the road from my house. He gave me free lessons one day about a year ago. It was just some of the basics though, nothing really advanced." Rin said.

"Oh, neat!" replied Shima._ 'God, that was a close one! I've GOT to be more careful!'_ Rin and the other two, who were in the Knights group, returned to the others who had been sitting out on the sidelines. "Hey guys! The Paladin had to go off to an important meeting, so he had to cut class short today. He said he'll be continuing with us Knights next class."

"So, were free to go?" asked Izumo.

"Uh, yea I guess," replied Shima.

"Great, cause I'm out of here!" Izumo walked off and Rin couldn't help but stare at her as she went. 'Was she always that pretty? Wait did I just say pretty?' Rin, immediately expelled the thought from his mind. He didn't do well when it came to girls.

"Anyway," Rin said. "I'm pretty beat too. I'm heading back the dorms! Cya guys tomorrow!" Rin waved to them as he left. 'Now…. what to do with the rest of my day...'

* * *

_[ In Assiah, True Cross Dungeons ]_

Mephisto was walking down the endless rows of cells twirling his umbrella, like he didn't have a care in the world. He had promised Rin he would look into the ransacking of his dorm rooms, and he was a man of his word. He was searching for cells #2341 and #2342. Those are the ones that held the new temporary prisoners Thomas Sawyer and Desmond Lloyd. They were already interrogated by other exorcists and the verdict would be given soon. However, Mephisto didn't believe their story to be true. They had both told investigators that is was a prank on Yukio, because he was the youngest exorcist ever. However, that didn't explain the fact that they had never met Yukio and why they had their guns drawn while returning to the scene of the crime. It also didn't explain why they had said they wanted to capture Rin. Mephisto knew their story was false, but couldn't say anything about it, without revealing Rin's secret. So, he decided to conduct a personal and private interrogation in the prisoners cells'. Finally, after walked down hallway after hallway, Mephisto approached Thomas' and Desmond's cells. Their cells were across the hall from each other, so Mephisto stood between the two and shouted, in his very obnoxious voice,

"Good evening gentlemen!" It instantly got both of their attentions. Obviously both of the exorcists knew who Mephisto was. There weren't many who DIDN'T know who he was.

"What do you want Mephisto?" said Thomas. "We were already interrogated."

"While that may be true, the interrogators didn't ask the questions I want answer to." With a flick of his wrist and a puff of smoke, Mephisto entered Thomas' cell. This startled him and caused him to instantly stand up and back away. "Now. Why were you after Rin Okumura?" Mephisto said, in a voice that was way more serious than it had previously been.

"Thomas! Don't!" shouted Desmond from his cell. "You should let him kill you before you talk!"

"Oh!?" shouted Mephisto. "Is it THAT juicy of a secret? Now I'm DYING to know more." Mephisto approached Thomas, a menacing smile on his face. "Are you going to make me repeat myself?"

"Well… ah.. You see…"

"STOP IT THOMAS! DON'T TELL HIM!" Frustrated by Desmond's interruptions, Mephisto poofed out of Thomas' cell and into Desmond's. A quick punch to the head, knocked Desmond out instantly.

"Desmond!" Thomas shouted.

"Calm down! He's just conscious. But, I can do much worse, if you don't talk."

"You fiend!"

"So, you going to tell me what I want to know, or is little Desmond here going to suffer?" Mephisto picked Desmond up the collar and drew him closer closer to his umbrella. Although, this may seem silly, it was a well known fact the Mephisto's umbrella was his weapon of choice and was a lot more deadly than it first appears.

"Fine! I'll tell you!" yelled Thomas.

"Perfect!" Mephisto dropped Desmond, allowing his unconscious body to slam to the floor. With another poof, he reappeared in Thomas' cell, waiting for an explanation. "So? Out with it!" Thomas kept his head down, as if he was ashamed of what he was about to say.

"We…. We were hired to kidnap the Okumura kid. A buddy of mine, he works here in the order, said that he NEEDED the kid. Never said why, or what for. Only that he was willing to pay top dollar for the kid, alive. So, me and Desmond came up with a plan. First we were gonna ransack their dorm, try and find out anything we could on the kid, try and figure out when he'd be alone. However, the two came back while we were tearing through the place, so we fled. Once Yukio left, we decided, rather rashly, to move ahead of schedule and kidnap the kid, but then Yukio showed up and shot us. That's it I swear."

"So, who's you buddy?"

"What?"

"Your buddy, the one who want's the elder Okumura? Who is he? What's his name?"

"..."

"If you tell me, I can make sure that you won't get kicked out of the order and that your verdict is lessened, but if you don't I will make sure you get the worst possible verdict this case will allow. Do I make myself clear?" said Mephisto. Thomas just looked at him frightened. Slowly, he nodded. "So, the name?" Thomas swallowed, hard. He took a deep breath and said his buddy's name.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Old Boys Dormitory ]_

Rin had the entire dorm to himself, on the account of Yukio being away on a mission that would last, most likely, the entire night. Now all he needed to do was…. FIND SOMETHING TO DO! Rin had been bored ever since his class with his father was cut short. That's what he had been looking forward to the entire day, finding out who the new teacher was. However, now that the peak of his day was over, Rin was officially and utterly bored. The only thing stopping him from falling asleep was the fact that he had napped through half of his classes, so he was very well rested._ 'Why can't something interesting just happen!?'_ he cried out to himself. And as if the heavens had answered his prayers, Rin heard a large smashing sound and some yelling coming from outside the building. He rushed downstairs as quickly as he could and burst out the front door. The sight made Rin furious. There were three boys, all students at True Cross, who were kicking around a small girl. She seemed to be a little shorter that Rin with long dark hair. She was wearing a school uniform, so obviously that meant she was a student at true cross as well.

"What the hell are you all doing!?" he yelled at the boys. One of them looked up at him and smirked, leaving behind the girl and walking up to Rin.

"Nothing," the boy said, "so why don't you just turn around and walk back inside?" Rin could hear faintly, the girl say something. It sounded like a plea for help.

"You're the one who should turn around and walk away, before I beat the crap out of you." Rin said, in a seething boy didn't falter, he wasn't scared of Rin at all.

"Oh yea? Think you're so tough why don't you come at-" The boy didn't have time to finish his sentence before Rin smashed his face in, knocking him unconscious in a single blow. The other two boys looked up from the girl and at Rin. They held their hands up in surrender and slowly backed away from the girl.

"All of you deserve to burn in Hell," Rin muttered as he picked up the girl, holding her bridal style. He carried the girl into his dorm and brought her to one of the many rooms, lying her down on the bed. "Hey, can you hear me?" Rin asked the girl. The girl shook her head slightly, but Rin could see it pained her to do so. Those boys had beaten her up pretty badly._ 'Damn, if only Yukio were here. He'd know how to patch her up.'_ Rin just stared at the girl, watching as her chest rose up and down in the rhythmic patterns of her breathing. "Can you talk at all?" he asked her.

"A… Lit….tle…." she replied, in between breaths.

"I can see you're in pain, but all I can really offer you is some ice packs. I don't know the first thing about first aid."

"It's…..Okay…."

"Can you tell me your name?" Rin asked the poor girl. She looked up and stared deep into Rin's eyes. 'Wow…. her eyes are so blue…. It's mesmerizing….'

"It's….. Sophie….." Now that she was talking to a bit more, Rin was picking up on an accent. It sounded very foreign, British he decided.

"Hi Sophie, My name's Rin. You look like you could use some sleep." Rin noticed that Sophie was shivering a little. '_She must me cold.'_

"Hey, I'll be right back with a blanket." Sophie nodded her head in response. Rin quickly left to retrieve the blanket._ 'Why would those assholes beat up someone like her? God they make me so angry!'_ Rin grabbed a blanket from a nearby closet and returned to the girl. He placed the blanket over her, gently, so as to not hurt the injuries that she sustained. Afterwards, he pulled up a nearby chair and sat down on it. "Are you sure you don't want that ice pack?"

"Yea… I'm fine." Her voice seemed to gradually come back to her. Resting was giving her some more strength, which was good. Rin sat there, staring at the gril for a little while. After about five minutes of silence Rin spoke up.

"Well you get some sleep. I'm going to-" He said as he started to get up, but Sophie grabbed his arm.

"Wait… This may sound…. weird, but…. can you please…. stay here…?" The question totally took Rin by surprise, but he obeyed the young girl's wishes.

"Ok…" Rin said, a little sheepishly. The girl soon drifted off to sleep, but she never let go of Rin's arm. Even though he had slept throughout the entire day and was fully rested, looking at the young girl, peacefully sleeping there, made Rin a little tired. Soon he fell asleep in his chair, holding hands with Sophie.

* * *

**[ Later that Night, Roughly 12:30am ]**

_[ In Assiah, The Old Boys Dormitory ]_

Yukio returned from his mission in the middle of the night. He had expected his brother to be fast asleep, but was shocked to find him not in their room. He then went searching through the entire brother, to find Rin. It didn't take him long to find his brother asleep on a chair, holding a weird girl's hand.

"Rin!" Yukio shouted. This caused Rin to jump with a start and fall back, taking his chair with him to the floor. This caused Rin to wake up in a very unpleasant mood.

"What the hell Yukio!?"

"I should be asking YOU the question! Who is this girl?" Yukio gestured towards Sophie, who was groggily waking up from all the shouting.

"This is Sophie."

"And why the hell is she in our dorm?" asked Yukio. "I told you! You aren't supposed to have anyone here!" Yukio was referring to the fact that normal school students weren't allowed into their dorm for risk of them finding something dealing with exorcism.

"Please don't yell at him." said Sophie in a weak, shy voice. _'Yea, that's definitely a British accent.'_ Rin thought. "It was my fault…" she started to explain, but Rin cut her off.

"You call being beat up YOUR fault?" he asked the girl. Not bothering to get an answer, Rin turned towards his brother. "She was being attacked by three other students, so I beat the pulp out of one of 'em and brought her inside to rest." Yukio took a closer look at the young girl. She was covered in cuts and bruises, although Yukio could see that, with rest, they would heal on their own.

"Oh, I see… Sophie." The girl, looked over to Yukio. "Who is your homeroom teacher? I want to call them tomorrow to tell them you won't be showing up for class."

"N-No… that won't be necessary… I've perfec-tly fine…" she said trying to get up and prove her well-being. However, Rin put his hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back down.

"No you aren't. You need to rest, you may only have some minor exterior injuries, but I think you might have broken something." said Rin. "Yukio, can you take a look at her for me?"

"Yea, sure." Yukio came over to Sophie and began to check her condition. As he was doing so, he once again asked her who her teacher was.

"Actually… I'm not here to attend normal school. I'm attending the cram school here, so you probably wouldn't know my teacher. Actually, as a matter of fact, I myself don't know who my teachers are. Tomorrow would have been my first day attending."

"Wait, YOU'RE Sophie Flemmington?" Yukio asked.

"How did you know my name?" asked Sophie in surprise.

"I'm actually your new teacher! My name's Yukio Okumura! I was told about your transfer to my class a few days ago."

"Wait, YOU'RE ? But you look like you're my age!" Sophie exclaimed. As Yukio and Sophie talked about Sophie's transfer to his class, Rin couldn't help but smile._ 'She's so much better than when I brought her in. I'm glad she's able to talk now.'_

"Anyway, Sophie, you don't have any broken bones, but I think the muscle near your stomach was bruised. Don't worry it's nothing serious and it should heal by tomorrow or maybe Wednesday, at the latest."

"Th..Thanks, Mr. Okumura." Sophie smiled at her new teacher, a little relieved that nothing had been broken. Yukio exited the room and Rin proceeded to follow, but Sophie called out to him. "Oh, you're leaving?" Rin looked back to her, feeling a little bad.

"Well, yea. My room is down the hall…" Sophie stared at him, a sad look on her face, but it quickly changed into a smile.

"Okay! Thanks for staying with me, earlier. I appreciate it."

"Sure thing, Sophie." Without another word, Rin left the girl alone to get some rest and headed over to his room, for some sleep. _'So, Sophie's training to be an exorcists too. That's so cool...'_

* * *

[ In Assiah, The Cram School ]

The next day, Sophie's injuries had healed, for the most part, and she was able to attend her first day of cram school. Well, in all actuality, it wasn't her first day. She had achieved the rank of Exwire back at the England branch of Knights of the True Cross, but transferred over here when her parents decided to move. At least, that's what Yukio told the class.

"-and her name is Sophie Flemmington! She will be joining us from now one, so I want all of you to treat her with kindness and respect!" Yukio said, finishing his introduction of the new student. Sophie stood wide eyed at the front of the room, staring at everyone. She was a very shy girl and didn't like the fact that everyone was looking at her. It made her want to run and hide under a desk. "Now, Sophie, please take a seat." Sophie started to walk over and was going to take a seat behind Rin, but then he heard him speak up.

"Hey Shiemi," Rin said to the girl sitting next to him. "Would you mind if Sophie sat there?" Rin asked in a very polite tone. Shiemi just smiled back and replied,

"Not at all!" Shiemi gathered her things and moved to sit behind Rin; The seat Sophie had originally planned to sit in. Rin motioned for Sophie to come sit in the, now empty, seat next to him. Which, she happily obliged to. After he took her seat, Yukio began his lecture for the day, but she wasn't paying attention. She was staring at Rin. Rin noticed her stare and it unnerved him a little.

"Why are you staring at me?" he whispered. At this, Sophie blushed a little.

"Oh.. it's nothing…" she said, shyly. Rin looked away, uncomfortably. The class continued on with it's average lecture, but Rin wasn't paying attention. He was still spacing out, bored by the material that Yukio was re-teaching him. _'Why am I even here? I already KNOW all of this stuff!'_ However, something strange started to happen. The walls began to warp and the floor turned to liquid. The sound in the room vanished, and everyone became stock still, like statues. Rin, stood up, his foot getting caught IN the floor.

"The hell is going on!?" he yelled. However, nobody replied. They all seemed to be frozen to the spot. "Guys!? What the heck to wrong with you!" Rin tried to shake Sophie and get her to move, but she wouldn't budge. It was like she was completely frozen and stuck, incapable of any movement. The same went for everyone else in the class. However, Rin on the other hand was slowly sinking into the now liquid floor, as if it were quicksand. Soon, he was waist deep and screaming out to his fellow classmates, who were sitting in their chairs, calm as can be. "SOMEONE HELP!" He continued to sink and sink until he was almost completely submerged. He let out one last scream before be was totally submerged. Shortly afterwards, he blacked out.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Cram School ]_

From everyone else's point of view, it was like Rin was going insane. He had jumped up suddenly out of his chair, grabbing everyone's attention. He just stood there silent for a few moments, gazing around the room, a look of horror crossing his face.

"Rin?" asked Sophie, "What's wrong?" However, Rin didn't respond with words. He started to mubmle stuff. Sophie was the only one who could hear him, but he said,

"Guys?! What the heck is going on?" followed by him saying, "SOMEBODY! HELP!"

Out of the blue, he screamed at the top of his lungs and passed out. "Rin!?" Sophie yelled in surprise. She, along with the rest of the class, jumped from their chairs and ran to Rin, who was now unconscious. Sophie started shaking him, in an attempt to get him to wake up. "Rin! Rin, wake up!"

"Everyone, back up. Let me see him." said Yukio. He WAS a doctor after all. He examined his brother's body, but then shouted to the class, "Everyone! Get out of here! NOW!" The students all gave him confused looks, but did as they were told. Yukio picked up Rin and carried him out of the room, behind the Exwires. After everyone had exited, Yukio set down his brother, slammed the door, and chanted a small little prayer over the door.

"Yukio, what's wrong with Rin?" Asked Shiemi.

"He was attacked by a demon." This caused shock to spread across everyone's faces.

"What?" asked Shima, fearfully.

"It was an illusionary demon. It attacked Rin by causing him to see, feel, and experience something that wasn't real. Most illusionary demons cause their victims to see these images until the pass out, at which point they wreck havoc on their minds."

"Well, where's the demon now?" asked Izumo.

"I'm not sure, hopefully it's still in the classroom. That's why I placed a barrier on the door. However, it could be inside Rin's head right now, messing with him. Either way, we have to wake Rin up and fast. While he's out, he's much more susceptible to the demon's attack."

"Well, should we take him to the infirmary?" suggested Sophie.

"No, it wouldn't matter where we take him, we just need to get him some holy water and- DAMMIT!"

"What is it Okumura, sir?" asked Suguro. Yukio had momentarily forgotten that his brother couldn't come into contact with holy water, but he wasn't going to tell that to the students.

"Nothing. I just don't have any holy water…"_ 'Dammit! What do I do! I don't know how to save someone from an attack like this without holy water!'_ While Yukio continued to panic, Rin was suffering through a very pleasant experience.

* * *

_[ Rin's Sub-Conscious ]_

Rin, after sinking through the floor, awoke in the clearing. _'Dammit, not this place again.'_ The clearing was filled with dead and bloodied Exorcists. It was like a continuation of his last dream almost. Rin stood in the center of it all, staring at the blood. _'It's…. beautiful...'_ Rin gazed up into the sky and in it the sun was high in the sky. _'That's different, last time it was night time.'_ Rin's bloodlust was there, making him thirst for more blood, even though there was already plenty in front of him. Thankfully, nobody was around for him to kill, so instead he just walked around taking in the scene. He found the experience oddly pleasant and peaceful, but it didn't last long. There was a shout from a distance,

"He's over here!" it was Suguro's voice._ 'Oh no...'_ Rin saw as everyone from his class, Shiemi, Shima, Suguro, Konekomaru, Izumo, and Sophie, entered the clearing. He slowly started backing away, afraid he would hurt all of them.

"STAY AWAY!" he screamed at them, bursting into flames, uncontrollably.

"Rin…." Shiemi said, a horrified, yet pitiful look crossing her face.

"The HELL Okumura!?" His classmates all stared at him in fear of what he had done and his blue flames, marking him as the spawn of satan. "You'll pay for this!" Yelled Suguro.

"NO! Don't come closer! I don't want to hurt you too!" pleaded Rin. However, just like before he lost control of his bloodlust. As Suguro dove at him, Rin sliced his throat open._ 'No…. What did I do….?'_ He watched as his friend fell to the ground, killed by his own hands. Rin looked up at the rest of his class and smiled his devilish smile. His bloodlust was now in control. _'I KNOW this is a dream… but it feels too real….'_ Rin rushed at them, taking down Izumo first. He pinned her to the ground and brutally ripped out her heart, listening to her scream as he did so. Next he moved on to Shima and Konekomaru, burning them alive. He then lunged at Shiemi, easily smashing her nose into her head, instantly killing her. Finally, he moved onto Sophie who stood there, a look of horror on her face. He swiped at her head, but she dodged the attack and ran straight into Rin, embracing him in a hug. This took Rin by surprise, but it did more than that. He instantly started to calm down. Sophie's embrace made him feel so calm and collected. His bloodlust receded into the dark depths of his mind where it had crawled out from.

"Sophie…." Rin said, his flames fading away.

"It's okay Rin, I'm here now, and I will ALWAYS be here for you." Rin started to drift off, back into the blackness. As he went, he could hear Sophie repeating herself, over and over. "I will always be there to protect you. Always. Always. Always. Always…."

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Cram School ]_

Suddenly and abruptly, Rin awoke, scaring the crap out of everyone in the hallway. He was surprised to find Sophie leaning over him, staring down at him. She was blushing a little, but slowly rose her head, allowing Rin to sit up.

"Thank goodness you're okay!" Sophie said. "We were all very worried about you."

"Yea, well it's all thanks to you…" Rin said, without thinking. This caused Sophie to tense and blush like crazy.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"N-N-Nothing! Forget I said anything!" Yukio stared at his brother, amazed that he had woken up all on his own. _'Did the demon allow him to wake up? Or did he just manage to find a way to get out?'_ All the Exwires were explaining to Rin what had happened. The demon, him screaming like crazy, and his fainting.

"So, what happened while you were unconscious?" asked Shima. " , said that the demon would most likely be messing with you in your mind."

"Hmm?" Rin murmured. He stole a glance at Sophie, then turned his attention back to Shima. "Nothing happened. All I remember, is suddenly the floor started to shift and act like quicksand and then everything went black. Now I'm here."

"Really?" asked Yukio. "Nothing happened at all? No traumatic experience? You didn't see anybody die? You didn't experience uncontrollable fear?"

"Nope." Lied Rin. "Well maybe a little fear when I began sinking into the quicksand, but otherwise, nothing."

"I see….." said Yukio murmuring something to himself, that Rin didn't catch. Rin, turned and stared at Sophie, who raised a questioning glance and asked,

"Rin? Why are you crying?" Rin was shocked by the question, because he hadn't realized, he had been crying.

"I don't know…" he replied, wiping away the tears. _'She made me stop. Even though it was just a dream, Sophie stopped the bloodlust. It felt so nice... and so real…..'_ Rin knew he should probably talk to Yukio about it, considering all the questions he had asked him, but he decided against it. He didn't want to share the unpleasant dream with him, or anyone for that matter. Suddenly, the bell for lunch rang and all the Exwires said their farewells as they split off for lunch. However, they all knew they would be seeing each other again when self-defence class started. Rin, picking himself up off the ground, started to walk off with Shiemi, however, Sophie called after him.

"Hey! Wait up!"

"What is it Sophie?" asked Rin.

"Mind if you I join you for lunch?" Rin smiled, was genuinely happy she wanted to join them. He replied,

"I don't mind. Shiemi?" Shiemi, surprised that Rin was even ASKING the question, shook her head and said,

"Oh, I don't mind at all!"

"Great!" exclaimed Sophie. The three walked off towards lunch, leaving Yukio alone in the hallway._ 'What did Rin mean when he said_ 'Well it's thanks to you..'_ to Sophie? I get the feeling he saw more than what he's telling me… I guess I shouldn't dwell on it too much. He's fine now, and it appears that the demon left.'_ Little did Yukio know, that demon wasn't done with Rin just yet.

* * *

**AN: LOL! I'M DYING INSIDE! Because mummy okumura will probably know what's going on, but the rest of you don't! I don't know why, but I just think that that's hilarious! Anyway, HUZZAH FOR WEEKENDS! :D Plus this chapter was VERY long, compared to my other chapters at least. So, thats a bonus too! And expect another update by the end of the weekend, because I have nothing else to do with my time :D *Hit's himself, saying he should get a life* (Look what you have me doing mummy! I have talked to you for so long I'm typing down my actions!)**


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Ao no Exorcist, but I can dream!**

**AN: HEY! Sorry, but this one is on the short side D: I didn't know If I'd be able to write any more considering I have things I need to do tomorrow. However, while it may be short, this chapter counteracts the long Chapter 11! So, In my mind, It's okay that this one was short :D **

_[ In Assiah, Mephisto's Office ]_

Mephisto was searching through all the files he had at his disposal. The name Thomas had given him sounded familiar, but for the life of him, he couldn't find the same in the computer. The name was Charles DeChent **(1)**, however, he was nowhere to be found in the system database. _'Thomas said that this man was an Exorcist…. did he give me a false name?'_ wondered Mephisto. _'Doubtful. It's more likely that this Charles DeChent lied to Thomas. However, if he is NOT an exorcist and wanted Rin then he'd mostly likely be a Satanist. Ha! I haven't had to deal with those freaks for a few hundred years!'_ Knowing that the man he was searching was indeed not an Exorcist, Mephisto called up a certain mortal who owed him a favor.

"Robert?" Mephisto said, speaking through his phone. The reply was a little staticy, but was audible.

"Yes? What do you need?"

"I need to cash in my favor." The 'Robert' person was very surprised, he hadn't expected Mephisto to cash in his favor so soon.

"What do you need?"

"I need any and all records that you have on Charles DeChent."

"Mephisto, I may be a CIA agent, but I just can't access a person's personal in-"

"Robert, just do it. I everything you have on the man on my desk tomorrow morning. Mail it using express if you have to. Do this, and considered your self paid off."

"And what about the…." Robert swallowed. "...demons?"

"I'll give you an eyewash that will prevent you from seeing them, you'll be fine." Mephisto could hear Robert's sigh of relieve through the phone.

*FLASH BACK*

_Robert worked at a secret USA outpost in Japan. He took and followed orders from the CIA. Everyday, to blend in, he went to 'work' at a post office. However, in actuality, he would go into the basement of said post office, and move a bookshelf to reveal a concealed door. After entering said door, he would join his fellow CIA member's in a secret underground room, meant to gather intelligence on government officials. However, one day a demon had possessed Robert's co-worker and attacked the base. Because they were caught off guard, the possessed man, easily killed everyone in the base, except for Robert. Robert had been badly injured and took cover underneath a nearby desk. That's when Mephisto showed up. Mephisto had been able to sense the demon from his academy and, for the fun of it, decided to come and kill it. He did so in the most flamboyant way possible; burning it to ashes in a hellish inferno. Robert, having seen everything, was wide eyed and filled with shock. Mephisto, catching sight of robert, tended to his wounds and saved his live. As he was addressing the man's wounds, he explained to Robert the existence of demons and the such. Afterwards, Mephisto leisurely left the facility, but Robert called out to him._

_"Wait! How can I repay you for this?"_

_"Don't worry! I will call on you someday! And when I do, I expect you do whatever I ask of you!"_

*FLACK BACK END*

"Okay, I will look up all the information the CIA has on this Charles DeChent."

"Good! Now, if you don't mind, I have….. important business to attend to." Little did Charles know, that the 'business' Mephisto was referring to was a playing in an online video game tournament. Hanging up the phone, Mephisto returned to his mansion, where he gladly wiped the floor with the 'trash' players that had been set against him.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Cram School ]_

Rin had prepared lunch for him and Yukio, but the thought had never crossed his mind that Sophie may need lunch as well. When he had discovered she didn't have a meal to eat, Rin happily split his lunch with her. As he was thinking about Sophie, he realized he still didn't really KNOW anything about her. He was determined to get to know her better.

"So Sophie," he said, "which dorm do you stay at? The North Girl's Dorm or the South one?" Sophie was taken off guard by the question, but she still responded.

"Actually, I don't stay at the girl's dorms. I have a room rented out by a hotel right outside campus. My parents got it for me, because that was more affordable then the school!"  
"What!?" said Shiemi. "How far off is it? This campus is HUGE."

"Well actually, I just use the key to get around. Unlike yours that connect you dorms to the cram school, mine connects to a door thats on the edge of campus, so I can easily get home."

"Doesn't it get lonely?" asked Rin. "From what is sounds like, you live alone."

"I… guess it does get lonely…" she said a little sheepishly.

"That's it!" Rin said, slamming down his chopsticks. "You live alone, don't have a set plan for lunch, AND you're lonely. You're moving in with me and Yukio!" Rin said. Both the girls saw he was blushing like crazy, but he was also determined. He wasn't going to take no for an answer. Sophie was completely shocked by the offer, and was stuttered a little.

"Is-Is t-that alright? Won't it cost me more then the apartment?"

"Nope. The headmaster worked stuff out for me and my brother, so that we could live here, free of charge." Sophie stared at him, mouth wide open. She threw her arms around him, hugging him. It made Rin blush, but he rather enjoyed the brief embrace.

"Thank you, Rin!" After she let go, Rin spoke up.

"Don't mention it. I'll also make you lunch, because that would just be easier." They all sat there for awhile, continuing their meal, when Shiemi spoke up,

"Hey, wait a minute. If you going to move in with Rin, don't you need to get all your things from you hotel room? And tell your parents that they can stop paying for it?"

"Oh yea! That's a good point." said Sophie. "I'll be right back." She got up from her seat, and went to go call her parents, leaving Rin and Shiemi alone. Shiemi stared at Rin as he ate the rest of his lunch. Catching her starring, Rin looked up at Shiemi in surprise.

"What are you doing?" Rin asked.

"You like her don't you?" This made Rin tense and blush like crazy. He could barely ge out the words,

"N-No! Wh-Why would you th-think that?!"

"You've known her what, a day? And you're already inviting her into your dorm, making lunches for her and keeping her company. Also, you wanted to sit next to her during class. You like her!"

"I do not!" Rin said, failing to hide his blushing face. However, Shiemi just giggled to herself. Soon, Sophie returned from her phone call and sat back down with Rin and Shiemi.

"So, it's settled. The hotel room will stop being paid for tomorrow, meaning I have to move out tonight. Can you help me move out my stuff, Rin?" Sophie asked.

"Oh, yeah, no problem!"

"Thanks." Rin sat there enjoying the company of his friends._ 'Yea, it's nice to have friends for a change.'_ However, a voice spoke into his mind. It was subtle, and Rin thought it was just his own, dark thoughts. '**_But what will they do if they find out who I am…?_**' This 'thought' made Rin feel a little sad, and a frown spread across his face. _'They may not like me anymore… they'd probably hate me, if they found out.'_ However, at this, the voice spoke again, and Rin, once again, believed it to be his own thoughts. '_**I don't think Sophie would care…. She'd be there for me….**_' 'I hope...' **(2)** Noticing her friend's frown, Sophie spoke up.

"What's wrong Rin?"

"Oh…. Nothing…" Sophie could see that something was weighing on his mind, but she let it go, not wanting to pry. Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. The three got up and started making their way towards the gym.

"Oh Sophie, I forgot to ask before, what meister are you trying to go for?" Rins asked.

"Why do you care now?"

"Because were heading towards the gym. During which, we separate depending on our selected meisters."

"Oh, I see. I'm going for Doctor, you?" she responded.

"Me? I'm going for Knight and Shiemi is going for Tamer. Hmmmm, I don't think there's another doctor in our group, nice.?

"Well, doctor is my main meister, I'm actually going for two. Doctor and Aria."

"Noway!? Really!? That's so cool!" The three were nearing the gym and could hear some shouting from within.

"WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT IS THIS!?" Rin thought it sounded like Suguro.

"BON! GET AWAY FROM IT!" That was Konekomaru. Rin, picking up his pace, ran, bursting into the gym, to find Suguro, Shima, Izumo, and Konekomaru, staring at a large Naberius similar to the one Neahuas had used to attack him on top of his dorm building.

"Wow. Where did this come from?" Rin asked the others.

"I don't know, but I thinks it's coming for us! Watch out!" shouted Suguro. The Naberius sent many miniature hands flying at the exwires. Konekomaru, Shima, and Suguro quickly chanted some verses to summon a barrier between them and Naberius. The flying hands disintegrated when they touched the barrier, because of how low of a level they were.

"Dammit, old man. Where are you?" Rin asked nobody in practically. His father should have been here, considering this was HIS class. However, Sophie, who had been silent the whole time, started to slowly walk past Suguro's barrier, heading closer to the beast. "Sophie! Get back!" Rin yelled.

"You're afraid of this weakling? I expected more from you pr-Rin." Rin noticed that she was going to say something before she said his name, but he didn't dwell on it, because she was drawing closer and closer to the beast.

_"The wicked will see it and be vexed, He will gnash his teeth and melt away; The desire of the wicked will perish."_ Sophie had said the verse quickly and with purpose, causing the Naberius to melt away, along with the minions it had summoned. The whole class stared at Sophie, who once again became uncomfortable. "W-What? Stop staring at me!" However, they continued to stare. Rin was the first to speak up.

"Sophie, how did you…."

"Hmm? Didn't I tell you I was training to be Aria?"

"Well yea, but that was a high level demon! You could have been killed!" Rin yelled at her.

"O-oh…. Sorry, I just knew it's fatal verse… and I-" She was interrupted by the sound of clapping and Fujimoto speaking.

"Wonderful job! However, I'm afraid you kinda ruined my warm-up exercise…" Fujimoto said, a little upset by the fact that his training Naberius was gone.

"Wait what…." said Shima.

"Yea! I wanted to accurately assess your guys' abilities to see if you could handle a demon of this caliber. It appears this young lady certainly can. What's you name?" He asked Sophie.

"It's Sophie Flemmington," she said with a bow. "I transferred here from the England branch."

"And, Sophie, might I ask how long you have been studying?"

"Two year independently, one year in the Knights of the True Cross program. This will be my fourth year of education." Everyone, Fujimoto aside, were amazed by Sophie. She had been studying to be an Aria and a Doctor for 3 years!

"Sophie," Rin said. "With that kind of training, shouldn't you have passed the Exorcist Authorization Exam and become an Exorcist?"

"Yea I guess I could, but my parents wanted me to stay an Exwire for a year or two more, so I could learn EVERYTHING I possibly could to be ready. They're afraid that I will get myself killed if I'm not prepared enough." She continued to look at everyone, as they stared at her. "And i said stop staring!" she yelled. Then in a smaller, mouse like voice, she said, "It makes me uncomfortable…"

"WELL! With that out of the way! Everyone separate into your groups!" As the class did as they were told, Sophie just stood still, not knowing where to go. Catching sight of her, Fujimoto said, "Sophie, go join Rin's group. If you're training to be Aria, then you're in the same boat as Konekomaru and need to learn basic self-defence." After everyone got into their groups, Fujimoto's face got a lot darker and he shouted, "ALRIGHT! LET'S BEGIN!"

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Cram School ]_

After an agonizing gym class, the exwires limped out of the gym.

"Dammit! That Fujimoto is like a slave driver!" complained Shima. Between his gasps, Rin replied,

"Yea… but he just…. want's us….. to be ready…." The exwires all disbanded and went back to their dorms. All except Rin, who was trying to swallow the water fountain, and Sophie who was sitting on a nearby bench, taking a sip of water from her water bottle. Rin, seeing her all alone, slowly made his way to her and took a seat next to her on the bench. "Hey…" he said in a sigh.

"Hi." replied Sophie.

"I know I said I'd help you move into the dorm room, but do you mind if I take a shower first? I'm drenched in sweat." he said, motioning to his practically soaked clothes.

"Yea, sure…" She responded in a weak voice.

"Hey… are you ok?" Rin asked, concerned.

"Yea, I'm fine…" she said, standing up. "Anyway, let's head over to your dorm, I have to wait for you to take a shower before we head over."

"O-Okay…." Rin said, getting up. 'I wonder what's bothering her…. Obviously SOMETHING is...' They made their way back to the dorms in silence. After a quick shower and getting into the a change of clothes, Sophie used her key to take them to the edge of campus.

"So," Rin asked, "where is the hotel you lived at?"

"It's just outside of the campus, down this road." Rin nodded, as he followed Sophie. The trip didn't take too long, and Rin and Sophie were at the hotel in no less than 15 minutes. After making their way to Sophie's room, Rin used his key to open up a door back to his dorm, which they used to transfer all the thing Sophie had. Rin noticed she had very little.

"Wow Sophie. You don't have a lot of stuff do you?"

"Well, the majority of my things are back at my parent's house in boxes. We just recently moved here, so I only took the few things I needed her for school. I'm planning on going back on the weekend to help unpack."

"Oh I see." After they had moved everything into the new dorm, Rin and Sophie, walked through the door, closing it behind them.

"Thank you so much for your help Rin!" She said, giving him a hug._ 'Sophie sure does like hugs...'_ However, something happened. When Rin went to release himself from Sophie's embrace, she didn't let go. He looked down at her and saw that her eyes were red and they were bleeding. Rin, shocked by the sight, pushed himself away from Sophie, falling from the floor. Sophie, just laughed a very creepy laugh. However, Sophie's eyes weren't the only thing that changed, the room started to shape and shift, similar to what happened in Yukio's class. The floor, that Rin was now sitting on, started to morph into hands that started to reach up and grab him. He struggled to release himself from their grip, but it was useless.

"Sophie! Help!" but Sophie stood their with a creepy grin on her face._ 'That's right… this isn't real… That's not really Sophie….' _Slowly, Rin was pulled into the floor, as he started at the fake Sophie, who's eyes continued to bleed red. Slowly, he faded into the blackness and was once again at the illusionary demon's mercy.

* * *

**AN: (1) It's pronounced "D Kent"**

**(2) How many people think they know what the dark voice is? Say what you think in the review section!**

**WHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA :D I still doubt anyone, aside from mummy okumura knows what's going on! You'll most likely find out in the next chapter or two. I feel like an evil mastermind :D**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: HOLA! I kept track of the words this time! So, it's an average sized chapter! YEA FOR WORD COUNT :D**

**DISCALIMER: I Do not own Ao no Exorcist.**

_[ ? ]_

Rin had originally thought he would awake in the clearing, sense that's where he was last time, however, this wasn't the case. He awoke at the monastery. _'Well…. this is unexpected.'_ He was in the main hall, standing in between the rows of pews. Through the window, Rin could see that it was night time. _'I wonder what time it is. Not like it matters much, this isn't real.'_ Rin began to walk towards the back of wall, however, he heard the front door open behind him. The one opening the door was Fujimoto.

"Rin? What are you doing here? You're supposed to come on the weekends." Rin stared at his father. _'This man isn't the old man. This is all just a dream.'_ Rin ignored the fake Fujimoto and continued into the monastery. "Rin! Where are you going? Hey! Come back here! I'm talking to you!" Fujimoto chased after Rin, who had made his way to the kitchen. Fujimoto grabbed his son's shoulder, but Rin smacked his hand away, rather violently. "Rin! Why are you here?" Rin continued to ignore the man as he pondered away to get out of the dream he was stuck in. "Respond to me when I talk to you!"

"Shut up! You're not even real." Rin said, as he proceeded out of the room.

"Not real? What the hell Rin? What does that even mean?"

"Nice try demon, I won't part take in your games. However, I am surprised I haven't been able to sense you…."

"What? Rin you aren't making sense!" pleaded Fujimoto. Tired with Fujimoto, Rin just barked back at him,

"Just shut up! I'm trying to think!" Fujimoto was stunned by his son's behavior. He quickly pulled out his phone and text Yukio to come over. Rin continued pacing throughout the monastery, hoping to come up with an idea on how to get out. _'Would killing the illusion work? Maybe… But I rather not kill the old man if I don't have too, even if he is just an illusion.'_ Soon, Yukio showed up and found Rin and Fujimoto in the backyard.

"Great…" Rin mumbled, "now there's two of them."

"What's going on dad?" Yukio asked.

"Rin's acting all weird. Keep saying that he's in a dream and that were illusions." Yukio's eyes grew wide, in terror.

"Dad, Rin was attacked earlier today by an illusionary demon. He woke up literally 5 minutes afterwards, so I thought nothing of it… but, if it's got him acting like this…." Fujimoto took in the new information. He grabbed Rin's arm, forcing him to look at him.

"Rin! This isn't a dream! This is real life!" However, Rin just ripped his hand back.

"Yea, Right! You're just trying to trick me!" Rin, pushed past his father and back into the monastery. The other two followed him, trying to talk reason into him. When Rin returned, he found that the four priests had returned from wherever the heck they had been. _'The demon probably just materialized them. There were never really gone and they aren't actually real...'_ After Fujimoto and Yukio explained to them Rin's condition they all tried to talk reason into him, but that didn't work. So they decided to take him by force. The four priests pinned him to the ground, causing him to struggle underneath their grip.

"HEY! Let go of me!" he said.

"Rin! LISTEN TO US! This isn't a dream! This is real!" Fujimoto yelled. But Rin didn't listen.

"I said! LET GO!" Rin burst into flames, scaring the hell out of everyone and causing them to release him. Rin got to his feet and slowly backed away.

"Rin, calm down!" Fujimoto commanded, however Rin couldn't calm down. Suddenly, the six of them had weapons in hand. Well, some of them didn't use weapons, but they were in their battle stance, ready for battle. Fujimoto had someone gotten a shotgun, Rin believed it was the demon materializing the gun, Yukio had his pistols, Izumi had pulled out a bible, Nagatomo had instantly summoned his guardian spirit, Malkin, without a summoning circle, Kyodo pulled off his gloves to reveal his fist that were marked with demon fighting symbols, and Martua seemed ready to spit fire at any moment.

"How can I calm down, when all of you are pointing weapons at me!" Rin said, continuing to back away.

"Rin what are you talking about?" yelled Fujimoto. "None of us are holding anything!" Then it hit him. The illusionary demon was currently messing with Rin, forcing him to see things. "Rin! Whatever you're seeing, don't believe it! None of us wish to harm you!" Fujimoto started walking towards his son, but Rin snarled at him, causing Fujimoto to not take another step. In Rin's mind, his thoughts were swirling, but one stood out among the rest. '**_They are going to kill me..._**' '_I can't let that happen...'_ Rin roared in fury, sending a blast of fire towards the six of them, forcing them to dodge. He used that opportunity to run past them and out the front door. However, he didn't get far because the gate was closed, locked, and covered in protective symbols to ward off demons. '_This isn't real…. The gate won't hurt me at all_.' Contradictory to what Rin thought, the gate burned his skin to the touch. '_What the hell? You can feel pain in a dream?!_' His 'family' had followed him out into the courtyard, and were watching him, aiming their weapons at him. Rin could've sworn he heard Yukio say,

"Don't move, or I'll shoot." Rin stared at the six people standing in front of him.

"Rin." said Fujimoto, raising his gun. "Calm down. Nobody here wants to hurt you. Now tell me what you are seeing." Rin just stood there frozen. '**_If I don't kill them, they're gonna kill me..._**' '_I-I have to kill them. It may be hard, but remember…. it's just a dream..._' Rin howled as he launched himself towards his 'family'. He attacked Maruta first, because he was closest to him. With one hard punch to the stomach, Maruta was sent flying back into the monastery. He collided with the altar and was knocked unconscious. He then moved on to Kyodo, who had moved to punch him. Grabbing his hand, he flipped Kyodo over his head and slammed him onto the ground, a technique his father had taught him literally hours ago. He then kicked him very hard in the ribs.

"Rin! THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" yelled Fujimoto, in a rage. Turning, Rin saw his father's gun aimed at him. '**_He's going to shoot..._**' Rin rushed his old man, kicking him straight in the face, seeming to break his nose back into his skull. After that, Fujimoto didn't move. Next he turned on Nagatomo, whose guardian spirit Malkin, had tried and attack him. He quickly burned Nagatomo's summon, then proceeded to grab the man by his arm and twist it back, breaking it. He watched as the man collapsed and screamed in pain. '_He can't do anything, neither can Izumi, no need to kill their illusionary selves._' Then he turned to the last person who posed a threat to him. His brother. Yukio had been staring stock still, paralyzed by the sight before him.

"Rin… Why…" he said, choking up on his words.

"You know damn why, demon!" He said, launching himself at his brother. He ran and, by using enough force, shoved his hand straight into Yukio's stomach. He didn't grab anything or pull anything out, he figured the illusion would die of blood loss. That is, IF illusions could die. After dealing with everyone, he turned to Izumi, who was just as scared and helpless as Yukio.

"You," Rin said, directing his gaze at Izumi, the Aria, "If you want to live, open the front gate." Izumi did as he was told and Rin left. Not looking back. He walked the road, continuing the processes of figuring a way out of his dream, when Sophie showed up. _'That figures. This dream just gets weirder and weirder… Wait a minute, Sophie was the way out last time. Can she do the same this time?'_

"Hey, Sophie."

"Hey Rin!" she said back, with a smile. Rin, not even bothering to explain ran up to her and gave her a hug. Taken a little off guard, it took a little while for Sophie to processes what was going on, but soon she returned the hug. She leaned up into Rin and whispered into his ear,

"How did it feel….?" Her voice had a little, seductive quality to it.

"How did what feel?"

"Attacking and possibly killing your family." She said. Rin was very surprised by the question, but realized something. It had felt…. great. He wanted to kill himself for it, but his anger from them abandoning him never really went away. Deep down, he did enjoy injuring them. He enjoyed injuring them, just like he had enjoyed killing the three boys.

"Great….." he replied in a dream sort of voice. Rin tightened his hug. He could feel Sophie's warm body and it made him feel very peaceful.

"That's good….." she said. "Did you even notice?"

"Notice what?" Rin asked.

"Your bloodlust." _'How does she know all this? Oh wait… this is a dream...'_ "I can see it on your face and through your pulse. That battle just exhilarated you. You want to kill more. Why don't you go, quench that bloodlust?" Rin, even though it was a dream, was VERY surprised by this. Sophie was supposed to be the one who stopped his bloodlust, why was she encouraging it?

"But…. I killed them because I had to, not because I wanted too….."

"But it's not healthy to stay all bottled up like that," she whispered. _'Why not do as she says…? Sophie wouldn't recommend anything that wasn't okay...'_ Rin fell into a trance like state. He felt like he would've done anything and everything for Sophie at that moment. And right now she had told him to quench his bloodlust. And quench it he did.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Supply Shop ]_

It was Wednesday, and Shiemi had stayed home from school, because it was cancelled. If it hadn't been, her mother would have kept her home anyway, because she was terrified. Roughly 20 miles from the school, a psycho murderer had killed tons of people across two city blocks! The news report had said that over 1,000 had been confirmed dead and the number is still rising. It was reported that nobody knew what the killed looked like, because he killed anyone who saw him. Most of the victims had had their throats ripped out, while others heart their hearts ripped straight from their bodies. _'I wonder if Yukio and the others are okay… I remember Yukio told me that the monastery he lived at is near that area. I hope his family is okay….'_ Shiemi was sitting with her mother, intently watching the TV, keeping themselves updated on the disastrous event.

"Hey, mom. Why do you think someone would do something like that?"

"I don't know honey, but their actions are akin to a demon's….."

* * *

_[ In Assiah, Location Unknown ]_

Rin awoke in a strange room. The walls were painted gold and the floor was nicely carpeted, unlike his room at the dorm, which was wooden. Rin was wearing very nice pajamas and was in a full king sized bed which had blood red bedding. Rin noticed he was holding someone's hand, and when he looked he discovered it was Sophie's. This instantly made him feel better, but he couldn't explain why. He had known the girl for literally 2 days! _'Wait, am I still in a dream…? No, I can't be. I counted all the time's I've blackout, and if I counted right, this is the real world.'_ Sophie's head was on the bed while she herself had fallen asleep in a chair. _'I guess now the roles are reversed...'_ Rin started getting up and his sudden movements awoke Sophie.

"Oh.. Sorry, didn't mean to wake you."

"No it's okay…." she said.

"Sophie? Where are we? And why am I wearing these pajamas?"

"Oh! Well, when we were at the dorms earlier, you seemed to have another episode with that demon and sense Yukio wasn't around, I called up my parents. There qualified Exorcists and they came, picked us up, and are taking care of you." Rin was okay with that, until he realized that they CHANGED him. That mean's whoever changed him, saw his tail. Instantly, he recoiled from Sophie, scared. "Rin, what's wrong?" He swallowed, nervous.

"Who here changed me?"

"My dad. He's the only other guy so, it was obvi- Oh….." It took her awhile, but she realized why Rin had been so afraid.

"Don't worry. My parents won't tell anyone. They thought that Mephisto would obciously know about you, and if Mephisto let you into his school, then you checked out okay. But, it IS a little curious. Obviously you have a tail, because your a demon, but what kind?"

"Really, Sophie… I'd rather not talk about it…"

"Oh...Okay…." she replied. Rin reached out, and re-grabbed Sophie's hand. It felt natural to him and he enjoyed the feeling. "But you have to tell me one thing okay?"

"What it is?" Rin asked.

"What kind of toppings do you like on pancakes?"

"Ummm, syrup. And hey, what time is it?"

"Ummm, 9? Why?" she responded.

"9!? We're late for school!" Rin said.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Sophie laughed at him. "Don't worry! It got cancelled! Although, they never said why."

"Oh… Okay."

"Now come on, I'm going to make us some pancakes." She pulled Rin out of bed and led him down the hallway. Rin noticed that it was painted green and had many pictures hanging from the walls. They were filled with Sophie and two others. The people Rin assumed to be her mom and dad. He also noticing two more doors. One to his left and one to his right.

"Where do those doors lead?" Rin asked.

"Oh, they just lead to my room and my parents room. I'd rather you not go in them, they are still cluttered with boxes from the move." After they exited the short hallway, they entered the living room, which was conjoined with the kitchen. The only thing separating the two was a small wooden threshold.

"So where are you parents?"

"Hmm? OH! Although, school was canceled, their work goes on. They were called in earlier this morning."

"Oh I see." Sophie quietly got started on the pancakes while Rin looked around the kitchen and living room. The kitchen seemed fairly new, with a high raised roof and a skylight. The kitchen looked like it was so much newer and brighter than the rest of the house. _'Must have been a re-model.'_ Rin, casting his gaze towards the living room, observed how open it looked. The one wall was completely filled with head to toe windows that showed back into their backyards. _'Wow they must not live near the city it they have a back yard...'_ Soon, Sophie called out to him, telling him the pancakes were ready. They both sat down at the, small, kitchen table and ate their syrup covered pancakes. _'I wish I could spend everyday like this...'_ However, in the middle of their breakfast, a door opened, and a couple walked through._ 'Oh it looks like her parents are home.'_ Sophie's mouth twisted in a smile and she got up and hugged both mom and dad.

"Although, you know him, you haven't really met him yet." said Sophie. "Mom, Dad, this is Rin, he's my friend from school and the one who invited me to live in his dorm."

"Nice to meet you Rin,"said Sophie's father as he shook Rin's hand. Rin, quickly swallowing the pancakes that were in his mouth, shook his hand back and replied,

"Nice to meet you too. And thank you for taking care of me."

"No need to worry! My name is Charles DeChent **(1)** and this is my wife Silvia." Charles said, motioning to his wife.

"Wait, I thought your last name was Flemmington." Rin said, directing his statement towards Sophie.

"It's my mother's maiden name. I like to use it rather than DeChent."

"And it irks Charles here to no end!" replied Sophie's mother, Silvia, laughing.

"Anyway, Dad, me and Rin were having breakfast, did you and mom want to join?"

"No sweetie, we just came back to check on you, we have to get going." He leaned down and whispered something in his daughter's ears that Rin didn't quite catch. With another hug, Sophie's parents left once again.

"That was a short visit." Rin noted.

"Yea, well something really important happened at work, a lot of Exorcists are being called in."

"Really? Wow…" Rin's voiced trailed off. He was wondering what this 'really important' thing was.

"Hey Rin?" Sophie asked, interrupting Rin's train of thought.

"Yea?"

"What did you see?"

"Pardon?" Sophie sighed.

"When you were attacked by the illusionary demon, what did you see? And don't try to tell to tell me it was nothing! Last time you said you were safe cause of me. I want to know Rin." Rin was suddenly uncomfortable. He didn't want to talk about it, but he knew he had to with someone. He NEEDED to trust someone, and he figured, Sophie was a very good candidate to be that someone. So he took a deep breath and explained to her everything. Everything, including him being the Son of Satan. Everything, including him going to Gehenna. Everything, including him wanting to kill his family and then attacking them and possible killing them in his 'dream'. Everything. Sophie sat there listening to him talk and explain and confide. And multiple times, Sophie would hug Rin and try to comfort him when the tears came.

"It's okay Rin… I'm here for you…." she soothed him. Rin felt that he was safe with Sophie. He felt that he could trust her. '_Wow... she doesn't care that I'm the son of Satan? She's really here for me...' _

"Hey, I know this is going to sound weird but…. can I take out my tail?" Sophie looked at him and burst out to laughing. She seemed to think that the question was hilarious.

"Hey! What are you laughing at!"

"Oh! HAHA…. Oh…. nothing nothing…. Yea, sure I don't care… Haha…." Rin, seeing as how Sophie didn't care, took out his tail and let it whip around freely. After they finished their breakfast, The two of them sat together on the couch and watched TV. While they sat there, they cuddled. It made Rin feel a little silly at first, because of how close they were, however at the same time, it made him feel secure. _'I don't want this to end….'_

* * *

_[ In Assiah, Mephisto's Office ]_

Mephisto had been busy all day. Apparently there had been a huge catastrophe in the part of town where Fujimoto lived and it was thought to be demon related. He had to spend so much time and effort reorganizing exorcists in the branch to go and help out. He himself was about to go down to see what all the fuss was about, when he noticed he had gotten a letter. It was from Robert. _'I knew he'd pull through.'_ Mephisto quickly opened the letter and was very disappointed. It had BARELY any info. on Charles at all! And all it that it did have was useless! All it said was he lived in England and moved to Japan. It also said he was a sketchy character who seemed to attend cult like activities in the night. That didn't help Mephisto at all with the task of FINDING the damn guy. Dismissing the letter, Mephisto through it into his waist bin. Too bad for him too. Had he continued to read it, he would have discovered he had a wife and child. His wife's name was Sylvia Flemmington and their daughter was named Sophie. If only he had made the connection.

After disregarding the letter, Mephisto used a key that transported him to Fujimoto's monastery, the closest place to the scene of the accident that Mephisto had a key to. However, when he stepped through, he was met with a sight that he was shocked to see. The monastery had been converted into a type of medical center, with exorcists swarming around five patients. Mephisto recognized all of the injured. Three of them were Fujimoto's aids while the other two were Fujimoto himself and his son Yukio. He walked up to the Exorcists who were treated them and asked,

"What happened here?" The doctor replied,

"Were not sure, they were attacked by a very high level demon and the only uninjured one, Izumi I believe his name is, is too traumatized to say anything noteworthy."

"Will they be alright?"

"Both of them should pull through fine, but they are going to be in critical condition for at least a few weeks."

"Unbelievable! What could have caused such a devastating display! And they after he was done here, he moved onto the city no?"

"Yes that's correct. We have reason to believe it is one of the eight demon kings."

"Hmm, well I guess there's not much I can do here. I think I will help with the clean up in town."

"Okay, thank you for your help, Lord Pheles."

"No problem! Get's me out of office!" Mephisto walked out of the monastery and towards the inner part of the town, where the destruction had occurred. _'Could it have been Okumura? Hm, I don't think he could have done something of this magnitude without his sword, and I sensed it still in the monastery…. Also, nobody reported seeing any blue flames... So if it wasn't him, then who did it?'_ Mephisto reached one of the exorcists that was helping with the clean up on town. He started to walk past him and said,

"Status report?" The exorcists instantly left what he was doing and followed behind Mephisto, filling him in.

"Two city blocks were attacked by some demon. It killed over 1,000 people. We have no idea what kind of demon it is, only that it's tactics and methods match those of the demon that attacked the three boys in the clearing. It REALLY stepped up it's game."

"Hmm…. Interesting…." Mephisto continued on to help with the clean up. Little did he know, it would take three hours, forcing him to miss a 'very important' video game tournament.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

After a few hours, the three priests, Kyodo, Maruta, and Nagatomo had awaken. They had all decided to protect Rin. At the time, they didn't know he had gone on a rampage and killed over 1,00 people. Either way, they told them that a high-level, unidentified, humanoid demon had attacked them and that the only reason they weren't able to stop it, was because it had snuck up on, and taken out Fujimoto first. Most of the exorcists didn't think their story was plausible, but they had to accept it, considering they were the only ones who had seen the demon.

"Why do you think Rin did it?" asked Maruta. The four of them were currently in the back room, away from all the other Exorcists. They were free to talk about what had ACTUALLY happened.

"He didn't know. In his mind that it was all just a dream, or an illusion. Either way, it didn't think it was real." replied Nagatomo.

"Well, we have to find him! We need someone who can take him on without any mercy, and talk some sense into him." said Kyodo.

"Someone like Shura?" suggested Izumi.

"YES! She'd be perfect! Considering she already knows about Rin. She also has her familiars that can help track him down." said Nagatomo.

"I'll call her." said Maruta. He took a cellphone out of his pocket and went through the phone's contact until he reached Shura's number. He dialed her up and put it on speakerphone. While it was ringing, Izumi asked,

"Where did you get that phone?"

"Oh, It's Fujimoto's. He gave it to me real quick for a phone call I needed a few days ago and forgot to give back. He doesn't use it much, so I doubt he even knows he' missing it." After a few more rings Shura picked up.

"Hello? Fujimoto? Are you okay!?"

"Hey Shura! It's Maruta."

"Figures…. I heard Fujimoto was injured. What happened?"

"It'd be easier to explain if you could come here, is that possible?"

"Yea, here let me just-" there was some muffling and the sound of a few gunshots. Afterwards there was silence. "I'm on my way." She abruptly hung up the phone, leaving the four priests shocked.

"What was she doing?" asked Maruta.

"Who knows?" said Nagatomo. It didn't take long before Shura came strolling into the room.

"So, What's the situation?" Nagatomo explained to her what had happened to Rin and how a demon was causing him to see and react to things, in a violent way. They told her that she was to find him and convince him that he was in fact in the real world.

"Well how am I supposed to find 'em?" Shura asked.

"Oh…" Said Izumi, "we thought that would be easy for you, considering you have tracking familiars."

"I can try 'em, but I need something of the kid's. Something that would have his scent on it."

"Would an old teddy bear work?"

"Yea, probably." Shura said with a shrug. Izumi led her to Rin's old room and opened the closet. In which was an old, brown teddy bear. Shura, summoning her familiares, had them use the bear to catch Rin's scent and set them off to look for him. "Ok, well I'm off. I'll call you guys if I find anything okay?" Izumi shook his head and watched as Shura used a key and left. _'I hope she finds him soon… That demon could destroy his mind if it wanted to…..'_

* * *

**AN: (1) WHAHAHAHAHAHA :D You putting the puzzle pieces together yet? Something juicy is gonna happen soon!**

**PS: I know I said I wasn't going to update, but I couldn't sleep! It is quite possible that I will update a THIRD time this weekend EVEN though I have shit to do tomorrow :P Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I Do not own Ao no Exorcists.**

_[ In Assiah, Sophie's House ]_

Rin and Sophie had been sitting on the couch and watching TV for the past three hours, but neither was paying the TV any attention. They were more focused on each other. Rin had taken to staring at her during the first commercial break of the second hour of watching TV, and when she noticed him, staring down at her, she didn't say anything. Instead, she just stared back. _'Those blue eyes….. They're so beautiful….'_ The two of them gazed into each other's eyes, silently while they cuddled. _'Sophie's truly an amazing person...'_ Rin, having stared at her for what felt like an eternity, started leaning closer to her, hoping for a kiss. Without any opposition, Rin gave Sophie a big long kiss, that made her blush. They continued to stare at each other, neither of them saying a word for fear of ruining the moment. However, it undoubtedly was. Sophie's parents came back and started to remove their coats and shoes. _'Damn, I guess they're not going to be leaving anytime soon…. I really wanted to be alone with Sophie for at least a little longer...'_

"Hey you two!" said Silvia. "Where back!"

"Thank you mom…. because I couldn't see you walk through the door…" replied Sophie in a tone that sounded less than happy.

"Sorry? Did we interrupt something?" asked Charles.

"No…" said Sophie, with another blush. This made Rin laugh. Everyone could obviously tell that they had interrupted something. Her parents took a seat on a smaller, second couch they had on the other side of the room.

"So, what's on TV?" asked Silvia, as she went to sit down.

"Oh, I'm not sure," said Rin as looked towards the TV for the first time in the past 15 minutes. There was a news story on. Something about a terrible accident downtown, killing 1,000 people. Noticing, Charles quickly said,

"Oh, just some boring new story!" as he changed the channel.

"Wait! Turn it back! I think that was my neighborhood!" Charles was very hesitant, but reluctantly, he turned the TV back to the news station. The four of them sat there and listened to the report.

"It would appear that one person single handedly slaughtered over 1,000 people here in the Shinjiko District. Nobody was able to get a good look at the suspect, however, police are more concerned with the clean up right now, rather than the pursuit of the attacker." As Rin watched his eyes got wider and wider. He started whispering to himself,

"No….No….No….No...It can't be…..It was just a dream…" Hearing him, Sophie said to him,

"Rin, what's wrong?" However, Rin didn't respond, he just sat there petrified by the news that was brought to his attention. _'It was all real….. all of it….. I killed all those people...'_ **'**_**And I enjoyed it...'**_

"I c-can't stay here…. I have to go." Rin started to get up, but Sophie pulled him back down.

"You're not going anywhere until you explain WHY you have to leave." Rin tensed up. He might of trusted Sophie, but he wasn't sure if he trusted her THAT much. Rin's tail twitched showing his nervousness. _**'I can trust Sophie… She's here for me… She's proven that...'**_ Rin took a deep breath and let it out.

"I did it….." he said, mortified.

"Did what?"

"That…." he said and pointed to the TV. "I killed them… all of them…. I thought it was just a dream… I didn't know…." Rin started to choke on his words. Tears stream down his face as he explained to Sophie and her parents what happened. _'They're probably going to kill me know. They're exorcists…. they may not now I'm the son of Satan, but they know I'm a demon… knowing I did that….'_ However, nobody moved. Sophie just grabbed Rin's face and forced him to look at her.

"Rin….." was all she said. She let go of his face and held him in a hug. Rin continued to cry for sometime, until Sophie spoke up. "I'm here for you… Nobody's going to hurt you while I'm around." For a moment, Rin thought Sophie had read his mind, but realized that his body language probably said it all. Sophie leaned up to Rin and whispered into his ear,

"Now… calm down Rin…. It's okay…. calm down…" Rin could feel his tension leave his body.

"I can't believe I did that….." Rin was so busy feeling guilty about what he had done, it slipped his mind that Sophie had been the one who had egged him on. Suddenly, something else dawned on him, renewing his tears.

"Rin? Calm down… I said it's alright…."

"It's not that….. Before the massacre….. I… I attacked my family…. They probably hate me…" **_'They may even want to kill me...'_** However, Sophie just continued to hug him.

"You don't have to worry about that, I'm sure that you didn't hurt them that badly…" Rin would never forgive himself for doing such a thing… He had been so cruel and mean to his family… _**'But didn't they deserve it? They abandoned me… Condemned me, kept me in the dark...'**_ _'They deserved what was coming to them.'_ Rin thought darkly. He stopped crying and wiped his eyes.

"You better now?" asked Sophie.

"Yea," he said, rubbing her hand. "Thank you, for being here for me…"

"No problem, Rin." Trying to break the awkward silence that had descend on the room, Silvia offered to make brownies for everyone and they all agreed. _'Wow… Sophie's family seems so nice and kind… and to a complete stranger like me...'_ Little did Rin know, they were on only being nice to him because he was the son of Satan.

_[ In Assiah, Sophie's House ]_

Shura had followed her familiares until they led her to a mundane house. It seemed like a home that an old married couple would move into after their kids had grown up and moved out.

"So, Rin is in 'der?" Shura's familiar hissed in response. Shura, dismissing her familiares, proceeded to knock on the door. It was answered by a woman who looked to be in her mid 30s. She had an apron on and a plate of brownies in her hand.

"Can I help you?" she said, with a smile.

"Hi, yes. I'm looking for this kid." Shura said, holding up a picture of Rin. "Kid's name is Rin, his family is looking for him." The woman stared at the picture, furrowing her brow.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe I've seen that child. Maybe my husband has, wait a moment." The lady shut the down in Shura's face and walked away. Silvia walked into the living and whispered something to her husband. Afterwards, Charles got up and answered the door, with his wife.

"So, what's this I hear about a missing child?" asked Charles. Shura once again held up the picture of Rin, showing it to him.

"His name's Rin, you seen him?" A little too quickly, Charles responded,

"Nope, never seen before. Goodbye." The two slammed the door on her face, rather abruptly. Shura was annoyed. Her familiares were NEVER wrong.

"I'm gonna get yelled at for this one…" she muttered. With a swift powerful kick, Shura broke down the door and entered the house. The couple spun around and saw her, sword being drawn from her chest. "So where is he? I know he's here!" The couple looked at each other and sighed.

"He's in the living room…" said Silvia. The two of them led Shura to the living room and to Rin. When Rin caught sight of her, he practically jumped off the couch.

"Shura!? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to save your sorry ass! Now come on let's get out of here!" Rin looked at her, confused.

"Save me from what?" Rin asked.

"Just come on, we have to go." Rin stared at her, balling his fists and baring his fangs.

"And if I don't want to?" Shura smiled at the boy.

"Then I'll have to-" Shura was stopped suddenly. She noticed something that made her whole body go rigid. Rin had his tail out was freely waving it around. That meant that these people knew his secret. "Rin! You showed them your tail?!"

"So what if I did?!" Shura stared at the boy._ 'Does he think this is a dream or reality?'_ Shura thought to herself.

"Rin, your family is looking for you. They want to talk about what happened yesterday." _**'They don't want to talk about it! They want to lure me into a trap!'**_ Rin 'thought'. 'I can't trust anyone...'

"Shura, I suggest you leave."

"Sorry kid, but I ain't leaving here withoutcha."

"Then you're not leaving…." Rin said darkly. Shura smiled at Rin's challenge. She launched herself at him, but before she could even close the distance between them, she heard a gunshot go off. It took her a moment to realize that that the bullet had hit HER right in her stomach. The pain caused her to drop down to one knee. "Sorry, Shura." Rin said, as he kicked her straight in her head, knocking her unconscious. Rin looked up to Charles, who was wiping and putting away his gun, while Silvia picked up the bullet casing that had fallen to the floor, throwing it away. Rin stared at Shura's dead body and caught sight of the blood coming from the bullet wound. His body went rigid, doing his best to stop himself from tearing into her. However, Sophie hugged him from behind and whispered into his ear,

"What are you waiting for? Don't you want to slice into her?" Her voice had that seductive quality again.

"Yea… but she was a friend….."

"But she wanted to take you away. Lead you to your death…." Sophie whispered. Rin felt his pulse beat faster, adrenaline rising at the prospect of the kill. Briefly, Rin wondered what Sophie's parents would think. However, he dismissed the idea when Sophie spoke again. "It's okay… Nobody's going to stop you…. We'll even clean it up when you're done…" Eventually, Rin gave in. Sophie released him from her embrace and he went to work, tearing into Shura's unconscious body. He started with the stomach, where the bullet hole had been, increasing the size of the wound. Blood gushed from it, and Rin relished the fresh smell of it. After he was done with the stomach, he moved onto the legs and arms. He cut into them causing many, small cuts on all four appendages. Blood flowed from each other causing smalls streaks of blood to flow down her. After he was done having fun, he slit her throat, just to make sure she would be dead. Afterwards he stood up and observed his work. He turned to Sophie and asked in an innocent voice,

"Uh….. where can I clean up?" He said as he motioned to his arms and clothes that were now covered in Shura's blood. Sophie pointed down the hall and said,

"Second room on the left." Rin went to go clean of the blood and change out of his clothes. _'That was…. very enjoyable….It's so much better when you know them, compared to if they are strangers...'_ Rin walked into the bathroom and started the shower. As he was preparing the shower, he realized that he hadn't felt even the slightest remorse when it came to Shura. _'Shura's dead now… Oh well…'_

In the living room, Sophie and her parents were busy disposing of the body and cleaning up the blood stains. Charles and Silvia, who were Satanists, were ecstatic. They had never seen something so beast like and brutal before in their lives and had enjoyed watching just as much as Rin had enjoyed killing.

"Wow Sophie, you really have that boy wrapped around your finger." Charles said. Sophie smiled, pleased by the compliment. She continued to scrub away at the carpet, removing Shura's blood.

"So, when do we have to take him their?" Sophie asked her parents.

"We were instructed to deliver him once he could kill and have no remorse about it. I still think he needs more time. Earlier he was CRYING over killing those people! What a silly notion!" replied Silvia. "He's the prince of Gehenna and he cares about us mortals! It's sad in a way."

"So what should we do with the body?" Sophie asked, motioning to Shura's dead body.

"I'll take care of that." Charles said, taking out a ring of keys. Sophie recognized them, immediately. They were the keys her father had stolen after he and a few others had sacrificed an exorcist to Satan. It helped him immensely in playing the part of an exorcist. Charles opened a door leading to an old abandoned house that was on the opposite side of town. He dragged Shura through and slammed the door. "Done." The twisted family of Satanic worshipers finished cleaning up the mess Rin made and waited patiently for their prince to finish his shower.

**[ Two Weeks Later ]**

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

The next few weeks were…. interesting for everyone. As Fujimoto and Yukio recovered, Nagatomo and the other priests conducted searches for Rin and the now missing Shura. However, they never seemed to be able to find any solid leads. During one of their searches, they had thought that they had seen Rin among a crowd of people, but they lost him. Things weren't looking up for the priests, until Fujimoto had healed enough to be released from intensive care. Now, the search for Rin, REALLY began.

"Nagatomo," Fujimoto said, as he finished preparing.

"Yes, Father Fujimoto?" asked the tamer, whose arm was in a sling.

"Is everyone ready?"

"Yes, they are all gathered in the main hall." Fujimoto and Nagatomo walked to the main hall, where the other three had all their weapons and tracking equipment ready.

"Everyone. Today we are going to find Rin. However, when we do, he may not be the same as he was before. The demon messing with his mind will most likely not have let up. It's most likely using Rin to better itself, having him kill people for it. While nobody knows that he was the one who kill all those people, he's still apart of family, and we are going to bring him back. We will deal with his punishment later." Maruta raised his hand. Without waiting for Fujimoto to call on him, he asked his question.

"I know we're going to be using tranq darts, but what if they don't work? Rin IS a powerful demon and tranq darts don't always work on some of the more powerful demons." Fujimoto's face was emotionless. He responded in a deathly voice,

"My gun is loaded with bullets that were soaked in holy water. If worse comes to worse, I'll use them on him if I have to, but that's a last resort." The room grew silent. Everyone knew the bullets had the potential to kill Rin, but they didn't want to happen. "Well, let's get going. Who has the tracking talisman?" Fujimoto asked.

"I do," called out Izumi. Izumi pulled out the talisman and slapped it onto Rin's old teddy bear. It was the same one that Shura had used to track down Rin with her familiars. After chanting a short prayer over the talisman, it started to faintly glow. As the talisman got closer to Rin, the glow would get brighter, while if it got further away from Rin, the glow would dim down. Currently it was glowing very faintly.

"He's probably on the other side of town." said Fujimoto, observing the talisman. "Nagatomo, pull the car around, were heading out." Fujimoto had a plan to overpower Rin, but it was risky. It involved telling others about him. '_I guess that's a risk I'm going to have to take... Rin coming out alive is all that matters.' _

_[ In Assiah, Sophie's House ]_

Meanwhile, Rin had been off with Sophie. Sophie had continued her seducing of the young boy, keeping him under her spell. She would use illusions to make Rin see, feel, and react to certain things, most of which caused him to kill random people. Rin had completely reverted back to his old demon self, in a way. He seemed to be a mix of both his human side and his demon side. He no longer cared for humans and their deaths, but at the same time he cared about Sophie. In fact, the two of them had grown closer over the past two weeks. Currently, the two were sitting on the couch, cuddling like usual, Sophie stroking her fingers through Rin's hair. Rin's tail would twitch and swirl in pleasure at the comforting gesture.

"So," Sophie said, "What do you want to do tonight?" She gazed into Rin's eyes. They were blue, but his pupils were rimmed with red. Rin smiled, exposing his sharp fangs.

"I was thinking we could just… have a night out on the town." Rin said, his voice was very slick. Of course Sophie knew what Rin meant by 'Night on the town'. Rin wanted to go out killing again. Of course that was the point, to get Rin to become comfortable with doing it, however, Sophie was tired of going out every night. She just wanted to stay with Rin, calm and peaceful. Sophie sighed, and responded,

"If that's what you want…"

"Sophie? What's wrong? Do you not want to go out? We dont have to…" Rin, although he really wanted to go out, also wanted to make Sophie happy. He really cared for her.

"Are you sure? I'd rather not tonight. We've gone out every night for the past two weeks. I just want to relax." Rin smiled at the girl he considered to be his girlfriend.

"Then relaxing here it is." _'He isn't completely a demon…. He's like a weird merge between the two. Part of him wants to go and slaughter the world while the other part wants to have friends and be happy. I guess being here gives him both...'_ Sophie thought to herself. Sophie removed her hand from Rin's hair and moved it down to his tail, slowly caressing it. It made Rin feel amazing, like a puppy having belly scratched. To express his gratitude, Rin leaned down a little and kissed Sophie on the head. They sat their, just enjoying each other's company when Sophie' parents returned. They had since grown used to seeing Sophie and Rin together, so neither Rin or Sophie bothered to move from their positions.

"Hey Rin! Sophie! Got any plans for tonight?" asked Silvia that peppy tone of hers. Everyone knew about Rin's nightly killings and they were usually considered to be 'nightly outings', 'nights on the town', and 'plans' as in 'Sorry Mom, we have plans'.

"No, not tonight," responded Rin, his eyes flickering up to Silvia, "Sophie just wanted to relax tonight, so that's what were going to do."

"I see! Well in that case, do you guys want anything? I can whip up a batch of cookies if you'd like." Silvia always had her smile on. _'All she's done during my stay here is try to make life as nice as possible. She's like a maid! Well… if she want's to do it, I'm not gonna stop her.'_ Rin thought.

"Yea, cookies would be awesome! Thanks!" Rin replied. Charles, who had remained quite, took his seat on the couch opposite Sophie and Rin. He picked up a newspaper that was on the coffee table and began to read it, as if nobody was there. Rin turned and stared at Sophie. She had stopped stroking Rin's tail, much to his disliking, but she was now running her fingers up and down his back, causing a chill to run down Rin's spine. But, he liked the way it made him feel, so he let Sophie continue. Rin, feeling Sophie was the only one doing any cuddling, started to rub his hand up and down her arm, in a soothing way. He wasn't very good at the whole, touchy feely thing, but he did his best to please Sophie. It wasn't long before the cookies were finished and Silvia returned from the kitchen with a plate of the steaming, hot pastries. Rin instantly dug his mouth into them, enjoying the chocolate chips in them.

"WOW! These are amazing !"

"Why thank you! And how many times do I have to tell you? Call me Silvia."

"Right, Sorry." Rin said with a smile. After the cookies, Rin and Sophie went back to cuddling, however it was interrupted by a siren coming from outside.

"What's that?" asked Sophie. Charles, for the first time since he returned, looked up from his paper. Sighing, he set it down and got up, going to check. Out of curiosity, Rin, Sophie, and Silvia all followed him. Stepping out onto the front porch, they all instantly knew what was going on. Hundreds of exorcists had surrounded the house, aided by the local police. Rin's eyes grew wide in shock, but when he noticed Fujimoto, then narrowed in anger. _'_**_There's the man who left me for dead. The one who wants to kill me and Sophie and her family._**_'_ Rin 'thought'. Rin, protectively stepped in front of Sophie, Charles, and Silvia, trying to shield them from potential bullets.

"What do you want?!" Rin shouted at Fujimoto, who stood roughly 30 feet from him.

"We want you Rin! That demon has poisoned your thoughts! Let us help you!"

"Help me?! If you wanted to help me, why did you let Astaroth take me away?! Why didn't you help me prepare for this life?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!" Rin roaded, his anger getting the better of him and his flames leaking out. Charles and Silvia, being the Satanists that they were, couldn't help by stare in awe and wonder at the boy that they had sheltered for the past few weeks.

"Rin! We don't want to hurt you! Just come with us quietly and we can talk things out!" Rin could see the look on Fujimoto's face. It was SCREAMING,_ 'I didn't tell anyone that you did it,'._ Rin stood there shocked. _'He didn't tell anyone…? Why not…? Obviously they know I'm the son of Satan, he'd have to tell everyone that to get this many exorcists to back him up. But… he never told them I killed all those people….? Does he still care…?'_ _'_**_No. He doesn't care. He's trying to lure me into a false sense of security! He doesn't want to 'talk it out' he want's to murder me!_**_'_ If anyone had been looking at Sophie, they would have noticed her intense concentration as she implanted the thought into Rin's mind. _'Damn,'_ She thought to herself,_ 'This mind thing never gets any easier...'_ Rin roared in anger.

"Just get out of here! I don't want to kill you old man, but I will if I have to!" Rin's tail thrashed back and forth, easily displaying his anger. _'How the hell did they find me anyway? Shura had her familiars probably, but it should have been near impossible to find me...'_ Rin dismissed the thought, declaring it as unimportant at the moment.

"Rin! LISTEN TO ME! You're being manipulated by a demon! Your thoughts may not be your own!"

"Screw you old man! You just want to rip away my happiness! You always have!" This statement seemed to viable hurt Fujimoto. He was always the one who tried to GIVE Rin happiness, not rip it away. The demon had done too much damage for Fujimoto to reverse. Fujimoto had had enough of Rin's blabbering. He was taking his son back home and THAT was final.

"SECURE RIN AND THE FAMILY WHO HAVE BEEN HIDING HIM!" Fujimoto commanded. Instantly hundreds upon hundreds of bullets came launching at Rin and the DeChent's. However, before any of them reached them, Rin released a HUGE amount of flames, burning through the tranq bullets. He grit his teeth as he struggled to control his flames.

"Get out of here Sophie! I doubt that they have the whole house surrounded, take your parents and get out of here!"

"But what about you?!" She asked. A little more aggressively than he meant to be, Rin yelled back,

"JUST GO! I can handle this!"

"And what if you dont?!"

"Then I'll be taken away. Don't worry, they won't kill me, just imprison me. Eventually, I WILL get out and when I do, please… find me." Sophie nodded her head, tears coming to eyes. She and her parent retreated into the house, looking for a means of escape as Rin continued to pump out the flames. He had two options. One, kill them all and move on, like nothing happened, Or submit and let them take him away. There were risking to both. If he went with the first option and his flames died out too soon, one of the exorcists would eventually get to him and then he would surely be killed for killing the exorcists. On the other hand, if he submitted, there was the very real possibility that he WAS walking into a trap._ 'Dammit…. what should I do?!'_ Rin felt his bloodlust come up, but he forced it down. It was easier to control considering he had went out last night. Rin sighed. He decided the safer bet was to submit. He was already getting tired from having this much flames out and he didn't know if he could maintain it while he killed the hundreds of exorcists that had shown up._ 'I just hope I bought Sophie and her family enough time...'_ Rin released his flames and fell to knees, allowing himself to get his by roughly 60 tranq darts.

"HOLD FIRE!" yelled Fujimoto, causing everyone to stop. Rin fell face first down onto the stone porch. He had been out cold the moment the fourth tranq hit him.

**AN: HOLA EVERYONE! In case anyone was wondering where he was, Yukio is still in an intensive care unit. Rin had shoved his hand into his stomach, which would take more time to heal than a severely broken nose. Like usual, hope you enjoyed the chapter and please let me know what you though! **  
**PS: I want someone's opinion. I have been planning on re-routing the story back to Gehenna, back at the same time I want it to stay in Assiah. Let me know in the review section, or PM me where you would prefer the story to go, Gehenna or Assiah. THANKS!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ao no Exorcist**

_[ In Assiah, The Vatican Headquarters, Dungeon ]_

Rin awoke very groggily. He looked around to see he was in a cage, much like one used for a pet or rabid animal._ 'Least they could've done was put me in a fucking human cell! This is just ridiculous.'_ Rin got to feet and started to explore the confines of the cage, which wasn't much. He found some food on a tray that was set out for him in the front of the cage, but he refused to eat it. _'Who knows what kind of stuff they have in that food,'_. Other than that, Rin found a small blanket that he supposed would be used as a bed. Rin went up to knock on the bars to test of sturdy they were, but they burned him to the touch. With a yelp, he back away from the bars, clutching his arm, trying to rid himself of the pain. _'Damn those Exorcists.'_ Rin looked beyond his cage, through the bars, but couldn't make out anything. It was pitch black outside of his cage. The only reason he could see inside of his cage, was because his enhanced demon sight allowed him to. However, his sight wasn't THAT good, so he couldn't see too far into the dark. Rin started thrashing his tail in anger. However, he noticed something that wasn't quite right with his tail. They had put a new binding on it. _'Damn it! Charles was able to remove the old one from my tail, but that was after hours of tinkering at it with his tools. And this one seems so much more complicated than the last one… Ugh….'_ Rin did not enjoy the binding on his tail at all. It made him feel restricted and it itched like crazy. Sighing, Rin lied down and stared at the roof of his cage. _'Man… how am I going to get out of this one?'_ Rin laid there for roughly 20 minutes, lost in his thoughts, until he saw a light from down the hall and heard the sounds of footsteps. Rin sat up, waiting for his visitor, unhappily. Eventually, when the light had gotten closer, Rin could see that it was Fujimoto carrying a lantern. He stood outside the cell looking down at Rin.

"Rin…" he said in his serious voice.

"Paladin," Rin spated out, making sure that his voice was layered with disgust.

"How are you feeling?" The question through Rin off a little, but he didn't respond. "Rin, come on. Just talk to me."

"I don't have anything to say to you." Rin said, gazing Fujimoto right in the eyes. It was the first time Fujimoto realized that Rin's pupils were rimmed with red. Usually that only happened when he had his flames out, but her they were, clear as day in Rin's eyes.

"That's fine. Just listen then okay?" Fujimoto waited for Rin to say okay or nod his head, but he just remained still. "Yukio is still in intensive care, he's going to need a few more weeks to heal, but he'll pull through." This statement earned very little reaction from Rin, so Fujimoto continued. "Because nobody knows what you did, the Grigori have decided to let you live, for now, because I asked them, as a personal favor, to keep you alive. They agreed on the strict conditions that you were kept down here, in this cage, and had that binding put on your tail." Rin again, didn't react, his tail swishing back and forth, showing his boredom. "Also, there's another thing. They have put a search warrant out for that girl from your class who was hiding you, Sophie Flemmington, was it? And when they find her, sh-" However, Rin didn't want to hear it. In a sudden burst of anger, Rin stood up and yelled at Fujimoto,

"Don't you dare touch her!" Rin bared his fangs and a low growl was coming from his throat. He lunged at the front of the cage, but stop just short of the bars because they would burn him. Rin stared pure hatred and anger at Fujimoto. Fujimoto was a little surprised by the reaction, but was pleased to see that his son was completely emotionless. Clearing his throat, Fujimoto continued.

"When they find her, they going to bring her and her family in. They will most likely be charged with being demonic worshippers for housing the son of Satan, and will thus be exiled at best or executed at worst." Rin dropped to his knees, saddened by the news. _'There's no way they would kill Sophie…. I won't let them… And that's IF they find her. I'm fairly confident that she and her family can take care of themselves.'_ Rin allowed his tail to curl around himself, trying to comfort himself with the warm and fluffiness of his tail.

"I think you should leave," said Rin.

"But I only just got here! We still have much to discuss!" Rin just snarled at him, but Fujimoto didn't leave. Instead, Fujimoto crouched down, so that he was eye level with his son. "Rin, look at me." Rin continued to stare at the floor of the cage, however when Fujimoto repeated himself, Rin obeyed. "Nobody at the monastery blames you for what happened. You were being controlled and manipulated. You weren't in your right mind. I just want you to know that that demon can't get to you here. You're save." Rin didn't reply. He just stared blankly into Fujimoto's caring gaze. They looked at eachother for a few moments, until Rin spoke up,

"What do you want me to say? 'Thank you'? or how about 'That's a relief!'? I don't care what you say or how you try to 'comfort me'. I'm done with you and Yukio and Maruta and the others at the monastery. All of you condemned me to this, to this live. You could have avoided it, could have told me about it, could have helped me through it, but no. Instead you sit back and relax while I get dragged down to Gehenna and have my life ruined. Thanks a lot 'Dad' I really appreciate your kind words!" Rin said his last sentence pumped full of sarcasm. If Fujimoto was hurt by Rin's statement, he didn't show it. Fujimot frowned, saddened by what his son had said. However, he just sighed and said,

"Well, I hope to change that view point of your's while you're in here. And even though you may be 'done' with us, we still care for you greatly." Fujimoto turned around and started to walk away. "Also, you should really eat your food, even though you're part demon, you'll still starve to death!" he called out, back to Rin. Rin eyed the food, and when Rin could no longer see the light from the lantern, he began to chow down on the food given to him.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, On the highway ]_

Sophie and her family had easily been able to sneak past the line of exorcists in the back of their house. It was easy because, unlike the front, the back was very spread out and had many open holes in it's defences. After they slipped past the exorcists, Charles broke into and hot wired a car, allowing them a means of transportation. Currently, they were heading down a major highway, leaving academy city. The air in the car was dense and everyone felt like they had failed Rin. Finally, speaking up, Sophie said,

"Why couldn't we use on your keys dad? Wouldn't that be easier?"

"No. The keys are too easily traced. While they may not have been able to follow us unless one of them had the same key, they could easily discover where we were going."

"Oh…"

"And speaking of 'Why couldn't' s," said Charles, allowing just a tad bit of anger into his voice, "Why couldn't you just use your powers? Because of your demon lineage, you could have single handedly, caused a mass hysteria among the exorcists causing them to shoot themselves or each other! Then Rin could have finished them off easily! Why couldn't you do that?" Sophie was shocked by her father's upset tone; he didn't get mad very easily.

"Rin's not ready to know that I'm Azael's daughter. I want to ease him into it, and causing a mass hysteria would reveal too much too fast. And besides, I trust Rin when he says that he will get out." **(1)**. They continued their drive in silence, until Silvia spoke up, changing the topic completely.

"So, honey, where are we going?" She said, resting her hand on her husband's shoulder, trying to sooth his temper.

"We're going to prepare for the ceremony. As SOON as he's out of the Vatican's headquarters, we will retrieve him and perform the ceremony. It can't wait much longer, or else the human's may actually break through his demon shell. If that happens, it's going to be three times as hard to get him to willing part take in the ceremony." _'The ceremony...'_ thought Sophie, _'So… It's come to that already...'_

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Vatican Headquarters, Dungeon ]_

Rin couldn't tell the passage of time in his dark confinement. He had fallen asleep awhile ago and and since waken up, but didn't know If a day had gone by or a few hours. There was a new set of food place on the tray in his cell. _'How did they manage to get that food in here anyway?'_ He sat up and quickly ate the food, making sure to eat every last bite. _'Who knows how often they will bring me food. Shouldn't let it go to waste'._ After eating, Rin curled up underneath the blanket they had given him and laid there staring out between the bars into the darkness. _'This is worse than Gehenna… Not only am I not allowed to do anything, but I'm kept in the the dark.'_ Rin let his tail wag and wiggle around above the blanket, because there wasn't enough room to do so underneath the blanket. It ached and itched so much were the binding was. Rin laid there in the dark, silently complaining about the discomfort in his tail, when he heard the familiar sound of foot steps. _'So, the paladin's back...'_ Since his first visit, the Paladin had returned to Rin a few more times, maybe two or three. During all of these visits he was alone, however this time was different. Rin sat up and turned, see the light of the lantern approach. Nonetheless, he could see more than just Fujimoto's shadow. _'Who's with him?'_ There were three forms in total, one of them obviously being Fujimoto, but who were the others? Rin watched as the figures and the light drew closer. We they had reached his cell and had entered his feild of vision, Rin's eyes grew wide in surprise. Fujimoto had brought Shiemi and Izumo from his cram school class to his cell.

"Hey Rin." said Shiemi, in a small sad voice. Rin stared at her for a moment, but then looked away and said,

"What are you doing here? This is no place for little girls like you." His words were very harsh and uncaring, but that didn't stop Shiemi from responding.

"Everyone's heard about what happened and who you are, but you're still just the same old Rin to me. I wanted to come and say hi, see how your doing."

"OH! I'm doing just GREAT! My family captured me and shoved me into a dark hole in a cell that burns my skins and put a binding on my tail that keeps me from even FEELING relaxed, cause it's so damn annoying! I'm in fucking paradise!" His voice was filled with sarcasm and Shiemi looked at Rin, fearful of the huge change in his personality.

"Rin… you're so different…" She reached out, clutching the bars, as if she was the one locked inside, looking at Rin not the other way around. Rin looked back to Shiemi for a few seconds, then let his eyes wander over to Izumo.

"And what about you? Why are YOU here? Far as I could see, all you ever cared about was yourself." Izumo looked at him and in her annoying, I'm better than the rest of you, tone, she replied,

"Least I wasn't stupid enough to get locked up in a cage, like an animal." This pissed Rin off a little, but he let it slide, he didn't care about these two, he just wanted to be alone. _'...Or with Sophie….'_ Rin spaced out for a little, while he thought about Sophie, but Shiemi pulled him back into reality.

"So… Rin… Are you okay?" Rin stared at the young girl, baffled. He was a demon, worthy of being shoved down into the deepest darkest hole the vatican had to offer and left to rot and she actually CARED? The question had thrown him off, so he choked on his words a little.

"I..I-I Uh… No, I guess I'm not…" Shiemi sighed a little, a took a seat outside of the cage.

"Come here." She said, motioning for Rin to come closer to the edge of the cage. Rin was very hesitant, he didn't trust humans besides Sophie and her family. Exorcists were the worst though, and three of them were standing in front of him right now. "Rin… please?" Shiemi asked nicely. Sighing, Rin crawled over to the edge of the cage so that he and Shiemi were closer than arms length, only being separated by the bars. Shiemi reached her arms through the cage to hold Rin's arm, but instinctively, Rin stumbled backwards. "Oh, Rin… I'm sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to hold you hand, was all, I'm sorry."

"..." Rin remained silent, and didn't return to Shiemi's side. For the first time during this visit, Fujimoto spoke up,

"Rin, these two came up to me and asked if they could come to see you. They said that they had missed you and wanted to see if you were doing better." Rin looked from him to the two girls. 'They wanted to…. see if I was okay?' Rin replied,

"Why would they care?" However, Shiemi replied to that one.

"BECAUSE WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS!" she practically yelled, upset that Rin didn't already know the answer.

"Please… like I could ever be friends with anyone…. My friendships don't ever last long…" Shiemi just sat there staring mortified that Rin didn't even her to be his friend anymore.

"Hey," said Izumo, speaking up, "This is going to sound really off topic and a maybe a little inconsiderate, but how do they get the food into him?" Rin looked at her and he let out a laugh. A REAL laugh. The one Shiemi had heard many times before and had grown accustomed to.

"I was thinking the same exact thing!" Rin said, with a smile. Although, after he realized he was showing his emotions, he instantly returned to his blank stare._ 'So, it's just an act? He doesn't trust anyone enough to let his emotions out….'_ Shiemi thought to herself. Fujimoto pointed to something Rin couldn't see, but that the girl could. It was a keyhole on the outside of the cage.

"They open this and put his food in. He's been asleep while they've been doing it, but they bring an aria that knows how to use the binding in case he tried anything while the cage is open." Fujimoto also displayed to them the key ring he had attached to his belt. Among the hundreds of keys he had, he pulled out the only red one. "This one is the one that opens the gate. I have one, each member of the Grigori has one and the man who comes to feed Rin has one. That's it, there are only five." Izumo nodded her head accepting the explanation. Shiemi, ignoring their conversation stared at the emotionless Rin, who stared right back.

"Rin? can you please come here again? I won't do anything, I promise. I just want to see you clearly, not through the shadows. At first Rin didn't move, but eventually, he agreed to her wishes, and once again made his way to the front of the cage. He looked first at Shiemi, who was eye level, because she was sitting, and then looked up at Izumo and Fujimoto, who were still standing their, just observing his conversation with Shiemi. "Thank you!" she said, a smile breaking out on her face.

"So…." Rin said, "What do you want to talk about?" The question through Shiemi off a little, but she gladly accepted Rin's offer of a conversation.

"Well, how have your past two weeks been?" Rin remembered back to all the killing he had done a relished in the memories for a brief second.

"It was….. very…. enjoyable." he said, licking his lips. "What about you?" he asked.

"Oh, it was nice, I guess. I was just really worried about you. You were gone all that time and the teachers had searched for you and they couldn't ask Yukio, because he was out with injuries…" Rin watched as the girl in front of him tried to keep her composure, but failed. Tears started streaming down her face, and she said to Rin, "What happened Rin? Why didn't you tell us, your friends, about your secret? We could've talked about it! We could have helped you! But instead you went out, ran away, then went beserk and were taken down by hundreds of exorcists!" Rin let his mouth and eyes open wide in shock. Shiemi wasn't her usual self, she was mourning and she wanted answers. _'She cares that much about me… Why…..?' _Rin just looked down, and responded,

"I don't have a good reason. At least not one you'd understand." Shiemi just sat there, crying. Rin didn't respond, he didn't think it was necessary. Eventually, after Shiemi had cried a good bit, Fujimoto spoke up,

"I think we should go…" He ushered Shiemi to her feet and the three of the started to walk away with the light. _'But… I'm not done talking to Rin...'_ Shiemi thought. She looked behind her and saw Rin, all alone in his dark little cage and her sadness was immediately renewed. _'I can't leave Rin all alone down here. This is more then enough to drive anyone insane, all alone and in the dark...'_ However, this time, she wanted to do something about it. Without thinking through it fully, or stopping to think of the consequences, Shiemi ripped the red key Fujimoto had shown Izumo from his belt. With key in hand, she ran back to the cage.

"Shiemi! Don't!" Shiemi ran to the cage and shoved the key into the lock, opening it and stepping inside. Rin, was startled by the girl entering and instinctively backed away from her. He huddled into a corner, but when his back touched the bars, pain seared through them, even though he had clothes on.

"Oh.. Rin…" Shiemi said still crying. She fell to her knees and hugged Rin, crying all the while. Rin sat there, shocked and unsure what to do. Fujimoto had reached the cage now and, fearing Rin would do something to her, was starting to chant some sort of mantra. Instantly, Rin screamed out in immense pain. He fell out of Shiemi's hug and started convulsing in pain. Shiemi looked behind her to see Fujimoto chanting the mantra and yelled,

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! STOP IT! He didn't do anything!" She screamed. However, Fujimoto didn't stop and was about to to come in a drag Shiemi out when she screeched so loud it had nearly broken his ear drum. **"STOP IT!"** After her repeated pleading, Fujimoto stopped. Rin, now released from the extreme pain, lay on the the floor, gasping for air and clutching his tail, the source of the pain. Soon he started hyperventilating. Shiemi, having seen the blanket in Rin's cage before, grabbed it and tossed it over him. "Rin… Shhh… it's okay, calm down.. shhh… calm down…" She put his head on her lap as a pillow and started rubbing his hair in an attempt to soothe him. Soon, Rin's breathing returned to normal and he muttered out a,

"Thank you…." Shiemi, not taking her eyes off of Rin, said to Fujimoto,

"What was that for? Rin did absolutely nothing wrong! You don't trust him at all do you?" Shiemi, the normal peaceful, calm, and collected one, had a tiny bit of anger in her voice. "He didn't deserve that and you know it."

"I-I… I'm sorry. But you shouldn't have done something so rash! In fact you shouldn't even be in there with him!"

"I'm not leaving Rin here alone, especially not like this." This made Rin smile a little. Although he would never admit it, he was very lonely done here. He was glad he'd have Shiemi as company. Fujimoto just stared at her through the now open door of the cage.

"Fine. I understand. Rin? I really am sorry… I-I…. I just wanted to be save… I didn't want a repeat of…." Fujimoto's voice trailed off, Rin knew what he was referring to. "Anyway…. If you want to stay here… You can, but I'm not sure if I can allow you to stay in there."

"But then who will help Rin?" Rin was baffled. He had killed numerous people, attacking his family, and was a demon, yet this girl, even though she didn't know about the killings, still wanted to help him. Through his heavy breathing, Rin said,

"...Wh-Why…" Shiemi looked down at him, smiling, even though he couldn't see it.

"Because you're my friend." She responded plainly.

"Well, if you're going to stay in there Shiemi, I'm afraid I can't leave this door open." responded Fujimoto. Although he wasn't sure how the Grigori would react to this, Fujimoto was very grateful to Shiemi. Hopefully she'd be able to help Rin see reason.

"That's okay." she said as Fujimoto shut the door.

"Wait!" said Izumo, after her mind had finally processed the situation. "How will she get out?" Fujimoto scratched his chin, but then snapped, saying,

"We'll do it they same way we do Rin's food! While someone opens the door, there will be a trained exorcist that knows the mantra for the binding."

"Did you just call me food?" asked Shiemi in a very annoyed voice, which was a little out of character for her.

"Anyways, I still don't want you two to be alone, so I will send down someone who knows the mantra just to be save." Fujimoto started walking away, but Shiemi called back,

"Dont."

"What?" Fujimoto asked, "Did I hear you correctly?"

"Don't send anyone down, Rin won't hurt me, and I don't think he's comfortable being stared at through a cage like some kind of wounded animal." Fujimoto just sighed, never saying whether or not he was going to send someone down.

"Rin, I really truly am sorry. Not only for the manta, but for everything. I hope you can come to forgive me someday…." Fujimoto continued to leave, with the silent Izumo close behind. She had felt too uneasy to say anything, so she just remained silent. After a while, the light had faded and darkness had descended upon the cage.

"Rin? If you're tired, you can take a nap you know." Rin looked up at her, barely being able to see her. _'She cares for me enough to lock herself in here with me, she trusts me to be alone with me without someone who knows the mantra, and now she's offering to let me sleep on her lap. What IS she? She's too nice to be human...'_ **(2)** Rin, too tired to utter a response just closed his eyes and allowed himself to doze off. As he fell asleep, Shiemi rubbed his hair and sometimes his tail. Although, sometimes while she was rubbing the tail, it would pull away out of pain. Usually, that was because she had rubbed too close to the binding. "Sleep tight, Rin."

* * *

**AN: (1) Does anyone remember when Sophie said that Charles was her ADOPTIVE father? When she reveals it to Rin, I will go into further detail about Sophie being the daughter of Azazel, Demon King of Spirits.**

**(2) Don't go getting any ideas. This is merely there to show how OVERLY nice Shiemi is. It's not foreshadowing anything! **


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: I Do not own Ao no Exorcist**

**SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO mummy okumura! When you see what I wrote I'm curious as to how you'll react. AN #3 is for you!**

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Vatican Headquarters ]_

Fujimoto was correct in his first assumption. The Grigori were NOT pleased. At first they had wanted to arrest and restrain Miss Moriyama for acquainting herself with the spawn of the devil, however Fujimoto pointed out that he and everyone in his monastery were well acquainted with Rin. Fujimoto also convinced them that Shiemi being alone with Rin was a good thing, allowing Rin to open up and begin to feel more comfortable. Eventually, after a long and heated debate, the Grigori allowed Shiemi to stay with Rin freely. They contacted the group of exorcists that had been feeding Rin and told them to allow Shiemi to come and go as much as she'd like and to proceed with caution as they opened and closed the gate, for Rin wouldn't be sleeping when they did. One of the member's of the Grigori tossed something at Fujimoto, and spoke,

"Give this to Miss Moriyama. It's a pager that will allow her to contact someone when she wanted to enter or leave Rin's cage." Fujimoto thanked the Grigori for all they had been willing to do, considering the situation.

"Thank you," he said with a bow. Afterwards, the meeting was adjourned. Fujimoto decided he would give the pager to Shiemi later. He had been down there literally two hours ago, and something told him Shiemi didn't want to leave for awhile. He walked around aimlessly, pondering what to do, when he came across a small child standing in the middle of the hallway.

"Hey, kid! What are you doing here?" Fujimoto asked the boy. The boy looked no younger than 7 or 8 and his back was to him. Something was painfully familiar about the boy, but Fujimoto couldn't put his finger on it. The boy didn't answer to Fujimoto, instead he started humming a strange song,

_"Ha, hoo, he, chicki chicki._

_Ha, hei, sei, maka maka._

_sem, tim, me, wa wa._

_All of them will burn."_

Fujimoto didn't understand a word of it until the boy spoke the last phrase in japanese, rather than in gibberish. Without even looking at Fujimoto, the boy took off running, heading down the hallway.

"Kid! You're not supposed to be here!"called Fujimoto. However, the boy didn't stop, he just kept running. Fujimoto quickly started chasing the boy and eventually caught up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, pressing down even to stop the boy from moving. "Kid, who and where are your parents?" The kid turned and snickered at Fujimoto.

"There dead!" The boy yelled with a gleeful laugh. "I killed them!" Fujimoto stared into the boy's eyes are was shocked to see his eyes were an unusual shade of red, with the normal black pupils._ 'Who is this kid? Is he a demon?'_ Fujimoto continued to stare at the boy, deciding that he probably WASN'T a demon, he grabbed the kid by the waist and started to take him to Nagatomo, who was currently working in a nearby office. _'Maybe he'll know what to do with this kid. Man I'm too old to babysit...'_ As the two walked, the boy Fujimoto carried over his shoulder, laughed and giggled, pretending he was flying a plane. **(1)**

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Vatican Headquarters, Dungeon ]_

It was still very dark and Shiemi's eye had adjusted as far as they would go, and she still could barely see in front on her. Rin had since awoken from his nap was still laying down, his head on Shiemi's lap. Shiemi continued to stroke Rin's hair, wanting him to feel safe and secure in her presence.

"So…" Rin said, interrupting the silence that had fallen between them, "How's that little greenman of yours? Nii was it?"

"He's doing good. I was told not to summon him here, but I can if you want to see him." Rin stayed silent for a moment, but eventually, he responded.

"Yea… I'd like that." Pulling out a summon circle, Shiemi summoned her spirit to her side and let it float down onto Rin's face. Nii walked around happily on Rin's face, waving at him as if to say Hi. Of course Rin could hear what the demon was saying in his head.

_"HI Prince! Nice to see you!"_ The demon did nothing but dance a swirl around on Rin's face, but he enjoyed it a little. The presence of another demon made him feel slightly better, but only slightly.

"Oh! Wait a minute! Nii, can you grow some ardante rozo?" **(2)**. Nii nodded his head gleefully and suddenly a rose like plant burst from his stomach, illuminating the room in a soft glow.

"Shiemi? What is that?" Shiemi smiled down, seeing Rin's face for the first time in the past two hours.

"It's called ardante rozo. It's has the appearance of a rose, but in the dark it glows ever so slightly. The darker it is, the brighter it glows. If Nii can grow enough, I can hang some up around here, so you're not stuck here in the pitch black darkness." Rin looked up at her, a small smile breaking out on his face.

"Really? You'd do that for me?" Shiemi giggled as if the question were redundant.

"Of course! You're my friend…. Although, it has a negative effect against demons… so try not to touch it much, just to be safe." Rin's smile faded away fast. _'Is she really doing it so I can see, or just another precaution to lock me away in here?'_ Shiemi pushed Rin up off of her and he sat up. Afterwards, she walked around with her greenman and made patches of the plant all over Rin's cage, causing a soft illuminating glow to be cast from it. "All done!" She said with a smile. However, Rin wasn't all that pleased. Shiemi sat down next to Rin, not saying anything else, but still wearing her smile.

"Shiemi?" Rin asked. Shiemi turned towards him to see him looked down nervously and blushing. "C-can… Can I ask for a… a-a favor?" He said swallowing hard. He admitted he hated that he had to ask for someone else's help, but if he had to ask anyone in the world for anything, it would come down to Sophie or Shiemi.

"Sure Rin!" said Shiemi, thrilled that Rin actually WANTED her help.

"My… Uh… My t-tail… It still hurts… and I uh… was wondering… if you'd be willing to uh… rub it…?" Rin struggled through the sentence for multiple reasons. For one, he didn't want to ask her for anything, for fear of actually showing some emotion. Second, trusting someone with your tail was a big thing for demons and it usually was a sign of trust. Third and finally, he was embarrassed that he couldn't quite reach the part of his tail that was aching. It was just out of arm's reach for him and was close to the base of his back. Shiemi, however, just smiled sweetly and replied,

"I'd be happy to!" Rin scooted a little closer to Shiemi, so that she could get to the part of the tail that still ached. He allowed it to drift over to her and she gently grabbed onto it and started stroking it.

"A.. A little lower." Rin said, his blush returning. Shiemi slowly shifted her hand position so that she was rubbing the part of Rin's tail that was still hurting.

"Hey, Rin, I don't mean this in a cruel way, but why couldn't you do this yourself?" Rin blushed again, a little embarrassed.

"I couldn't get to it without putting my hand behind my back, and it's hard to accurately measure where to put my hands when I can't see my tail. Plus it just feels weird, to rub my own tail…" Shiemi just nodded back silently and continued to stroke Rin's tail. In the silence, Shiemi could hear a sort of purring noise coming from Rin. She wondered briefly if he knew he was doing it. They sat there in the silence, Rin purring, Shiemi rubbing, for a long time, until something happened. Rin had even realised he had done it, until Shiemi said something.

"Rin? Can you let go of my arm? Your tail is constricting it a little." Rin looked behind him and saw that he had wrapped him tail around Shiemi's arm. **(3)**

"I-I-I….. I'm so sorry!" he said, retracting his tail completely. Shiemi frowned a little, she had enjoyed stroking Rin tail. It had allowed her to soothe him while at the same time break through his demon outer shell. Although, Shiemi didn't really even think of Rin as a demon. He was still just as nice, funny, and nervous as he had been when he had been hiding his identity._ 'But… while everyone else was around, he acted like he wanted to kill all of us… Is he hiding his feeling because he doesn't trust anyone? Or because he really is a demon?'_

"You, don't want me to keep rubbing your tail?" The question shocked Rin a little, mainly because he had forgotten that Shiemi didn't know what wrapping one's tail around someone elses arm meant. Taking a deep breath, Rin said,

"No, thank you. You did plenty. It feels so much better now."

"Okay!" Shiemi said, smiling. They sat there, in the glowing that was cast by Shiemi's strange flowers when they heard footsteps coming and saw the lantern approach.

"Looks like the Paladin's back," Rin said, in minor disgust. Fujimoto approached the two and sat down outside the cage, placing down the lantern.

"Sorry I'm a little late, I found a strange boy wandering around the halls of the Vatican and had to take him to Nagatomo to find out who his parents are. Anyway, Shiemi, what is that growing all over the cage?" Shiemi smiled proudly and told him,

"It's ardante rozo, I put it up so Rin wouldn't be in the pitch black darkness. Although, they will probably die in a day or so…" Shiemi just shrugged, "I can always put more up anyway." Fujimoto nodded his head, slightly impressed.

"Anyway, Shiemi, take this." Fujimoto held a weird red square out to Shiemi through the cage.

"What's that?" asked Rin, scooting closer to see what Fujimoto gave her.

"It's a pager. It can be used for Shiemi to call the team of exorcist who bring Rin his food. They will open and close the cage for you so you can come and go see Rin as you please. Although, the would appreciate no unreasonable hours." Shiemi stared at it and then back at Fujimoto, a great big smile spreading on her face.

"Thank you so much!" She said, clutching the pager in her hand.

"Now, if you're ready to go for today, I can let you out." Shiemi was about to accept his offer, but when she caused her gazed towards Rin, thinking about how lonely he'll be again.

"No, I'm good for now. I'll call this team when I'm done with my visit. Thank you." Fujimoto shrugged and said,

"Alright. So, Rin, how is your tail feeling?"

"Just fucking great, thanks for asking," Rin said, the sarcasm was unmistakable. 'That's another thing. Rin never swears when were alone. He must really not trust anyone else….' However, Fujimoto just ignored his son's sarcasm.

"I said I was sorry Rin,"Fujimoto let out a sigh, "I know it's not what you want to hear from me, but it's all I can offer right now." Rin just bared his teeth and growled a little. Fujimoto raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Alright, Alright." He stood, grabbing the lantern. "By the way, the Grigori have decided on an agreement. I told them that this cage was not fit to suit a person, so they agreed to let me bring you home. However, there setting up a barrier around the monastery, one even stronger than Mephisto's. Once that's all set up, you'll be allowed to come home and out of this dank, dark cage. Until then though, I can't do much, Sorry…." Rin looked at him, and was about to say 'Thank you' or something, but held it. It still hadn't forgiven Fujimoto, so he wasn't going to show any gratitude. Fujimoto sighed once more, a little saddened by the lack of response from his son. However, he simply turned around and left. 'I wonder why he hides his feelings like that...' thought Shiemi.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Vatican Headquarters ]_

After a few more hours, Shiemi called the exorcists and they came very quickly. They had this whole process where Rin was to sit on the opposite side of the cage while they opened the door. Also, there was an Aria who instantly started reciting prayers and hymns when he close to Rin. Most were demon warding charms, but Rin knew he was to be careful around this one, because he knew the mantra for his binding. They opened the cage and Shiemi left quickly, allowing them to reseal the door behind them, leaving Rin alone in his illuminating cage. Shiemi said her goodbyes through the cage bars and was taken away by the small group. She was led back the way she had come and ended up in Vatican HQ.

"We have some business to attend to. I'm sure you have a key that can get you home safely. Btw, when you use that pager to go back in there, we will be waiting right here for you."

"Got it. Thank you!" The small group walked down the corner and disappeared. Shiemi approached the nearest door and was about to insert her to go home when she heard shouting from a nearby room.

"HEY! Get down from there! Stop jumping around!" Out of curiousity, Shiemi followed the shouted and arrived in an office like room, watching as Nagatomo tried to catch a small little boy who wouldn't sit still. Eventually, the boy tried to escape the room, but ran straight into Shiemi's leg, causing him to fall.

"Heeeeeeey! NO FAIR! You weren't supposed to be here!" Said the little boy. Shiemi just looked at the boy quizzingly, as Nagatomo finally got his hands on him.

"Thank you so much. I've been watching this kid for like three hours and nobody has come to claim him. It baffles me that he's even in this place in the first place. Oh, I'm sorry," he said. "I don't believe we've met." He extended his free hand out to Shiemi, while the small boy struggled under the other one. "My name's Nagatomo."

"Nagatomo…. OH! You're from that monastery Rin and Yuki are from right?"

"AH! So YOUR Miss Moriyama. I heard you went into Rin's cage. Very bold of you." Neither of the two noticed, but the little boy stopped struggling under Nagatomo's grasp at the mention of Rin's name.

"Anyway, I just came to see what the ruckus is about, but if you've got it handled…" Shiemi said, starting to walk away. However Nagatomo called out to her.

"Hey! Wait! I'm sorry to ask you this, but can you watch this kid? I have work to do and I can't get it down with him here."

"Uh…"

"Please? I can come pick him up at…" Nagatomo briefly glanced at the wall clock and saw that it was 7pm. "around 9ish. Please Miss Moriyama, I'd be in your debt."

"Uh, Okay then. Sure! I'll take him to the supply shop, I assume you have a key?"

"Yes, I do. Thank you a lot Miss Moriyama." Nagatomo ushered the small boy to Shiemi and Shiemi grabbed his small little hand.

"Hi there! What's your name." The little boy stared up at the lady who was holding his hand, staring at her with his strange, unsettling, red eyes.

"Everyone just calls me Dugo." **(4)**

"Dugo, hmm? Well I'm sure we are going to have lot's of fun!" Shiemi said with a smile. She quietly led him out of the room and into the hall, where she went to a nearby door, going to open her key to her house. The boy stared at Shiemi with awe and wonder, like she was the coolest person he had ever met.

"You… smell like… Nii-san…" Shiemi looked at the boy, thoughtfully.

"You have a brother? Where is he?"

"Hes… somewhere… I'm not too sure…" The boy was very vague and it left Shiemi brimming with question.

"Well, what about your parents?" she asked, twisting her key into the lock and opening the door, ushering the boy onto the long bridge that led to her house.

"Oh," he said, a smile making it's way onto his face. "They died in a fire." However, Shiemi didn't believe him. _'What a strange imagination. I wonder if he even HAS a brother.'_

"So, what would you like to do?" Shiemi asked. They were now halfway across the bridge. "We have roughly two hours until Nagatomo comes to pick you and hopefully return you to your family, but until then we can do anything." The response he gave wasn't one that Shiemi was expecting.

"Can we burn things?" the boy asked with an excited smile._ 'Oh god… He's a pyro! One of those weirdos that's obsessed with fire! I wont be able to trust him near the garden, so we'll have to stay inside.'_

"I don't think so. My mother and I have a garden that is very dear to us and if there was an accident and the garden burned, we would both be very sad."

"Darn…" the little boy said. "Well can we watch TV then? Maybe SpongeBob is on!" **(5)**

"Sure!" said Shiemi, with another one of her smiles. The two had finally reached the shop, and Shiemi opened the door and led Dugo inside. "MOM! I'M HOME!" Instantly her mother came rushing into the front room, smiling and said,

"Hi dear! How was the visit? It took longer than I thought it would."

"Yea sorry about that…" While Shimei awkwardly rubbed her arm, her mother noticed Dugo standing behind Shiemi.

"Oh, who's this?" Her mother asked, pointing towards the boy.

"This is Dugo. He was found in the vatican and a priest from Yuki's monastery asked me to watch him until 9ish, so of course I accepted." Her mother smiled at her, glad that her daughter had chosen to the nice thing.

"You are too kind for your own good!" Her mothered smiled a little and asked, "Do you or Dugo want anything to eat? I know it's late, but I don't know if you ate."

"Actually, now that you mention it, I am hungry. Dugo? What about you?" In his small little 8-year old voice, he replied,

"Yes… Do you have any hot foods?"

"Of course I do!" said Shiemi's mother, heading off into the kitchen to cook. It wasn't long until she had whipped up two plates of steaming hot Bibimbap with kimchi. **(6)** Dugo took one bite and said,

"This will have to do. Thank you." Without another word he scarfed down the flaming hot, spicy food. Shimei watched how the boy ate the food without any mild to wash down the spicy taste, while she could barely take one bite with need something to cool down her throat. Within minutes the Dugo finished his plate and returned it to the nice lady who made it for him, once again saying his thanks. Afterwards he sat down in Shiemi's living to watch Tv and was pleasantly surprised to find SpongeBob on. _'He ate ALL that spicy food in the little time? That boy is something else….'_ After Shiemi finished her meal, which took a long time, she joined Dugo in the living room. He sat quietly, entertained by the Tv show. On a commercial, Shiemi asked him,

"Hey Dugo, how come you're not going crazy? Back in Nagatomo's office you seemed very hyper and all over the place."

"Oh, I was just bored, but now I have SpongeBob!" he said, excitedly.

"Also, what up with the Bibimbap? You ate all the spicy food in a very little amount of time!"

"That's because I just like spicy foods. I eat them all the time and they're all delicious."

"Oh… Okay. Do you want some dessert? Ice cream maybe?" Dugo made a face like he was about to puke when Shiemi said the words 'Ice Cream'.

"That stuffs gross! It's so cold! I don't know how people like it."

"Oh, I see…. You are one weird kid Dugo." He stared up at Shiemi, his Red eyes pearing into her green ones.

"I know, I'm just different." He didn't say another word the rest of the time Shiemi watched him. He just silently watched TV the whole time. When it can around to 9 o'clock, Nagatomo showed up like he promised, and collected Dugo.

"Thanks again, Miss Moriyama!" He called, "I really appreciate it!"

"No problem!" She said as she watched the two of them walk across the bridge, heading back to Vatican HQ, or wherever Nagatomo was planning on taking Dugo.

"I'm certain of it…" Dugo said under his breath so that Nagatomo wouldn't hear. "She smells exactly like Nii-san. She knows where he is…"

* * *

**AN: (1) This scene may seem very bizarre and random, but he's a new OC for the story.**

**(2) This is not an actual plant, but it IS a real word. Ten points to anyone who can tell me what it means in English!**

**(3) This is a reference to mummy okumura's "Demons can Summon Demons?" which is a crossover between Black Butler and Blue Exorcist. In the story a demon butler named Sebastian, tells Yukio that wrapping one's tail around someone else's arm is meant to show that the owner of the tail holds the other person in the highest regard. Btw, if you like both animes, I suggest you go read her fan-fic, it's a great story!**

**(4) It's pronouced "DO-GO"**

**(5) OKAY! I KNOW! SPONGEBOB ISN'T ON IN JAPAN! A BOY CAN DREAM! SPONGEBOB FTW!**

**(6) Bibimbap with kimchi is an EXTREMELY hot and spicy and considered to be one of the MOST spicy dishes in the world (I think top 20, but don't quote me on it)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Discalmer: I do not own Ao no Exorcist**

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

It was Saturday morning, and the previous night Nagatomo had no choice but to bring Dugo with him back to the monastery after he had failed to find anyone who knew him. Fujimoto wasn't all the pleased, but he understood and allowed the boy to stay for the night. They had made breakfast for the kid and found some old clothes of Rin's that he could wear, because his had gotten dirty. Dugo was less than pleased with breakfast, saying that it wasn't 'hot' enough. Afterwards Dugo left the room and started singing and dancing to his weird songs. The boy was always singing his strange little songs, which annoying the crap out of everyone in the monastery. It also didn't help considering the fact that it was 8am and everyone had woken up barely an hour ago. Eventually, Fujimoto had had enough, too stressed to deal with a kid right now. He may have enjoyed his kids greatly and was usually able to put on a smile around them, but he was so busy with building the barrier for Rin and having the Grigori breath down his neck, he just couldn't deal with the added stress of a child.

"Nagatomo. Can you please take Dugo somewhere else? He's giving me a headache." Nagatomo was a little shocked by Fujimoto's statement, but he realized even HE was getting a headache from the small boy's strange songs.

"Sure thing father. I'm sure Shiemi would be willing to watch him again. She said he was relatively calm around here last night." Nagatomo got up from the kitchen table, where he had been sitting with Fujimoto, and made his way to Dugo, who was singing in the other room. Although he had tried to locate the boy's parents, nobody came to claim him. It also didn't help that Dugo never told Nagatomo his last name. "Hey, Dugo?" asked Nagatomo. The boy stopped his singing, and looked up at the priest that was staring down at him.

"Yes?" asked Dugo with a blank expression.

"I'm going to take you back to Shiemi's today. Were all really busy here, and none of us have time to look after you." The boy just sat there and shook his head, not seeming to care. Nagatomo held out his hand and led him to a nearby, which he opened to the supply shop. _'The kid's completely different from yesterday. He was practically bouncing off the walls yesterday and now he's like a small emotionless figure. How very strange.'_ After the short walk across the bridge, they walked up the steps to the supply shop's front door. Nagatomo knock politely and t

hey were greeted by Shiemi's mother at the front door.

"Oh, hello. Can I help you?" She asked.

"Yes. I'm looking for Shiemi. I was wondering if she'd be willing to babysit Dugo again today."

"Well, you just missed her. She went off to visit Rin." Nagatomo's mouth dropped wide in surprise.

"Does she know him at all!? He won't be up for another two hours!" Shiemi's mother just responded,

"I think she wanted to be there when he woke up. She even made him breakfast. Anyway, she literally just left, If you use a key, I'm sure you can catch up with her before she goes to visit." Nagatomo bowed, being polite.

"Thank you for your assistance miss."

"No problem!" she said as she shut the door. Nagatomo briefly wondered if he should ask Shiemi's mother to watch Dugo, but quickly dismissed the idea. She didn't seem like a kid kind of person.

"Where's Shiemi?" Dugo asked, looking up at Nagatomo innocently.

"She out visiting her friend, Rin. We're going to meet her there."

"And where is 'there'?" asked Dugo using air quotes around the word there.

"The Vatican Headquarters." When Dugo gave him a confused look, Nagatomo continued, "The place you were yesterday, roaming the halls."

"Oh…" Nagatomo, who had quickened his pace, was practically dragging Dugo behind them as they re-crossed the bridge and, using a key, entered the Vatican HQ. Luckily, he found Shiemi sitting on a bench, with a large box, probably filled with Rin's breakfast. She was waiting for the team of exorcists to come take her down to Rin.

"Shiemi!" Nagatomo called, waving to her as he walked down the hall with Dugo.

"Hey Nagatomo! Dugo! What are you guys doing here?" She asked. Nagatomo rubbed his head a little awkwardly and averted his gaze. Sighing, he said,

"Can you watch Dugo for me again? I really have stuff to do and nobody at the monastery has time to watch him. They're all helping him construct the barrier to keep Rin inside when he finally gets to come home." Shiemi looked between him and the box of food.

"Nagatomo, I'm sorry, but I'm was just about to go see Rin." She paused, but then an idea came to her. "I can if Dugo doesn't mind going down with me to see Rin." She looked to Dugo, who actually looked excited.

"I can come too?" he asked, practically jumping with joy. Shiemi nodded to the small boy and Nagatomo sighed with relief as Dugo ran over to Shiemi and climbed up onto the bench with her.

"Thanks Shiemi! I really owe you!" Nagatomo said, bowing. Before Shiemi could respond, or change her mind, Nagatomo took off in the opposite direction. Shiemi turned towards Dugo and saw him practically beaming with happiness. _'Why's he so excited to see Rin? He's never even met the guy before! Does he even know WHO or WHAT Rin is?' _

"Hey, Dugo, why are you so happy to go see Rin? Do you know about him at all?" Dugo looked at Shiemi and smiled. He was about to answer, but then he stopped himself. His face was thoughtful for a moment, as if trying to come up with a reason. However, he just said,

"I just wanna see him… That''s all…." Shiemi stared at the boy curiously._ 'I wonder who told him about Rin? Maybe his parents? It would stand to reason that his parents are exorcists, considering he wound up here in HQ and Rin has been the topic of discussion across the globe. It's not impossible they told him or he overheard.'_ It wasn't long before the team showed up and started leading Shiemi and Dugo down to Rin's cell. However, as they approached, Shiemi could see that he was still asleep.

"Are you sure you still want to go in? He looks like he's sleeping. Plus, what about that one?" said the main exorcist, pointing to Dugo.

"Rin wouldn't hurt Dugo, he's never even met the kid before. Also, I just wanted to be here when he woke up, so I'm actually glad he's still asleep." The exorcist just shrugged.

"Whatever." He opened the cage and the two of them stepped inside the glowing cage. "Just page us when you want to come out."

"Got it! Thank you!" The group left, leaving Rin, Shiemi, and Dugo alone in the cell. Dugo stared at Rin in awe. Under his breath he whispered to himself,

"Nii-san…?" Shiemi heard Dugo speak, but didn't catch what he had said.

"What was that Dugo?" she asked.

"Nothing." Shiemi sat down, opening her box and started to set up plates and chopsticks. She left the food inside the box so that it would stay warm until Rin was awake. While Shiemi was setting up, she didn't notice as Dugo walked over to Rin's sleeping form, examining his tail. Dugo looked at it and touched the tuft of his tail. This caused it twitch and little and it wiggled closer to Dugo, reflexively. Shiemi, looking up, saw Dugo messing with Rin's tail and said to him,

"Dugo! Don't mess with Rin's tail! You might wake him up and startle him!" However, before Dugo could step away, Rin's tail wrapped itself around Dugo's waist and lifted him into the air a little. The boy giggled in excitement and Shiemi stood up, shocked by what Rin was doing in his sleep. Shiemi was a little afraid that Rin was going to hurt him, however as she watched what happened, she calmed down. Rin's tail brought the boy around to Rin's front side and plopped him down on the floor next to him. Then, shifting in his sleep, Rin wrapped his arm around Dugo and hugged him in his sleep. While hugging him, Rin kept his tail wrapped around the young boy, seeming to send a message of protection. Dugo continued to giggle softly, as Rin clutched him.

"Nii-san…" Dugo whispered again. Once again, Shiemi hadn't caught what he said. Slowly, Shiemi sat back down, having calmed down from the strange event that had just occurred. _'Well, Rin's going to be fairly surprised when he wakes up and finds himself hugging a small boy.'_ She stared at the two boys and smiled. Rin looked like a father figure in a way. Or at least like an older brother; more so than with Yukio at least. Shiemi sat there, leaning against the bars and watched as Dugo slowly fell asleep, taking a nap in Rin's embrace. _'I wonder why his tail decided to do that...'_

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Vatican Headquarters, Dungeon ]_

Shiemi sat there and silently humming to herself for the better part of an hour until she heard Rin groaning as he started to wake up. As Shiemi had predicted, Rin was extremely surprised to find himself snuggling with a small 8-year old that he had never met before. Noticing the boy was still asleep, Rin slowly removed his tail and arms from him, so as to not wake him. He also took his blanket off of himself, and laid it over the small boy. Looking around, Rin quickly caught of sight of Shiemi smiled a little.

"Hey Shiemi. Why are you here so early? And what's up with the kid?" Rin yawned after he spoke.

"Thats Dugo. He was found in the vatican yesterday and Nagatomo asked me to watch him. In fact when I said I coming down here to visit you, he went crazy, wanting to come too." Rin turned around briefly and stared at the sleeping kid for a little while. Rin turned around when Shiemi spoke. "I made breakfast for you. If you're ready to eat."

"Y-You made me breakfast?" asked Rin, very surprised by Shiemi's kindness. _'I guess I shouldn't really be surprised. This is just the kind of thing Shimei would do.'_ Rin crawled over to where Shiemi had set up the bowls, plates, and chopsticks. "Thanks, Shiemi." Rin said with a smile. Shiemi started to unpack the food and had made too much noise. Slowly, Dugo woke up from his nap.

"Nii-san?" Dugo said, as he tried to gain his bearings. Rin looked at him quizzically as the boy stared straight back at Rin. Rin said to Shiemi, who didn't seem to hear what Dugo had said,

"Shiemi, did you hear that? He just called me Nii-san."

"Yea, sorry. Dugo has really weird imagination. He said his parents had burned to death in a fire and that his brother was 'somewhere'. Although he never said anything else about his family." The boy got up and cross the room and sat next to Rin, clinging to his arm. Instinctively, Rin wrapped his tail around the kid's waist, pulling him a little closer to him. Shiemi noticed, but didn't say anything.

"So, what did you make?" Rin asked.

"Just something simple. I have some Tamagoyaki and some Rice. Nothing else really." Shiemi passed Rin a bowl of Rice and some Tamagoyaki on a small plate.

"Thank you. Itadakimasu!" Rin started to scarf down the food and fast as he could, but then looked down and saw Dugo eyeing his food. "Hey, kid. You want some food?" The boy looked up at him his red eyes. They were a little eerie in the glowing light from the ardante rozo.

"Is it hot?" he asked.

"Uh… not really, but it's good though." Rin replied.

"No thanks, I only eat hot foods." Rin shrugged and continued to eat his breakfast as Shiemi watched. Soon after he finished he thanked Shiemi.

"Thanks Shiemi. That was delicious. So much better than the crap they serve me here." Shiemi smiled and blushed at the comment and responded,

"No problem Rin, I'm glad you liked it." Putting the empty bowl done, Rin turned his gaze to the small boy next to him who was holding onto his arm. Rin shook off the boys hand and then grabbed it in his hand, so that they were holding hands.

"So, your name's Dugo, Right? Nice to meet you, my name's Rin."

"Rin…" said Dugo, his voice filled with awe and wonder like he was staring at his lifelong idol.

"Shiemi here says that you wanted to come see me. You mind telling me why that is?" His voice was kind a gentle, it surprised Shiemi. Rin had supposedly reverted to his demon nature, and yet here he was, smile on his face, talking to her and Dugo. _'He doesn't seem to show any emotion to anyone else. At least he like's Dugo.'_

"Uh...It's.. ah… secret…" The boy said, continuously looked at Shiemi, as if he didn't want her to hear the answer to the question. Rin stared into the boys red eyes with his blue ones. He put on a slightly menacing look that sent shivers down the young boy's spine. However, he didn't push the matter any further and dropped the scary look.

"So, did Fujimoto say how far along they were with that barrier? I'm not sure if I can take being down in this depressing hole much longer." However, before Shiemi could answer, Dugo spoke up.

"Why not just break out then? Certainly you could leave the moment you wanted to." A little thrown off by the boy's statement, Rin just stared at him. However, after a while, Rin just laughed at the boy.

"Actually, I can't. These bars are made of blessed Iron, which I can't burn with my flames. Also," Rin coiled his tail around the boy a little more so that the binding was on the boy's stomach rather than his back. Pointing at it, Rin continued, "this binding will stop me from doing much. If anyone who knows the mantra starts to recite it, intense pain shoots through my body and I care barely move because of the pain."

"Why not burn it off?" the boy asked.

"You sure are nosey, you know that? Anyway, my flames have no effect on it, I had an old one of these, and they only way we could get it off was to tinker at it with tools for hours until it finally fell off." The boy nodded, accepting the explanation. He grew silent once more.

"Now it's MY turn. You asked me your questions, now I get to ask mine." The boy looked back up at Rin, prepared to answer his questions.

"So, Dugo, Shiemi told me that you have, or at least had, a family. Who are, or were, your parents?" His voice was very calm and steady. A tone that one would only use when talking to a smaller child.

"Mommy burned when I was very young. She was turned to ashes," he said as he smiled, seeming to enjoy the prospect. "Papa was never around, though. He was always away and I only ever met him once, but I don't really remember when I saw him. After Mommy died, I was taken into the care of Mommy' sister. I don't remember her name though. She told me everything about the world. Exrocists, Demons, and she even knew about and told me about my Papa. However, after she was done explaining she told me I had a brother and that he was locked away somewhere. So, that night I stole a key from her and went to look for my brother." Rin and Shiemi listened to his story. Sheimi, chopping most of it up to the boy's imagination, while Rin believed him 100%. However, he could tell the boy wasn't telling him the whole story.

"Dugo, you're holding back. Who was your father? And what did the lady say that your brother's name was?" Shiemi stared at Rin. _'Does he actually believe what Dugo is saying? Dugo just has an overactive imagination, although learning about exorcists and demons was obviously true.'_

"The lady told me my father was named Iblis and that he was a great king of fire. She also told me that he was a demon, which made me a half-demon. After that, she told me my brother's name was Rin, so when I heard that Shiemi knew you, I was eager to come see you." Shiemi was laughing in her head. _'Yea, cause this kid is the son of a demon king! That seems really likely! And Rin's his brother? Doubtful. If he really were the son of Iblis, he and Rin would be cousins at best.'_

"So," Rin said, completely believing the young boy. "Can I see your tail then? I showed you mine, it's only fair." The boy looked at Rin and then to Shiemi and then back to Rin. He nodded. Rin released the young boy from his tail's embrace, so that he could uncurl his tail. Shiemi's mouth dropped wide when Dugo lifted up his shirt and a short, flaming red tail uncurled from around his waist. He sat back down after he let it out, and Rin picked the boy up and placed him on his lap, allowing his tail to re-wrap around the boy. Shiemi just stared in disbelief.

"You…. and the…. with the….. and Iblis… and the…." utter confusion could be seen across her face as she tried to put the pieces together in her mind. _'So he wasn't lying!? His parents actually died. But wait, if he's telling the truth, then we need to find this 'Mommy's Sister' person. They may be looking for Dugo.'_

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" asked Dugo, looking up towards Rin.

"Of course not! Shiemi?" Still stunned by the discovered of the boy's heritage, Shiemi stuttered her response.

"Ah...a-ah N-No. I w-won't tell anyone." She stared at the two demons who sat in front of her. Rin was bouncing Dugo around in his lap, causing him to laugh and giggle._ 'They really DO look like brothers….'_

"So, now you know!" he said smiling. Shiemi just sighed and said,

"I guess that explains your pyro-ism and why you were so excited to see Rin." Rin looked down at Dugo in surprise.

"Dugo, you're a pyro?" He looked up innocently at Rin and said,

"Yea, I think it's pretty!" He smiled a big grin up at Rin.

"Then let me show ya somethin." Rin removed the boy from his lap and retracted his tail. "Stay right here okay?" The boy nodded and Rin walked to other side of the cage and with a small but of concentration, summoned blue flames around his arms.

"Wow….. there so blue and pretty…." Dugo's eyes were wide in excitement as he stared at Rin who played around with the fire, causing it to move to various parts of his body, like his chest, arms and legs. Dugo also noticed that while Rin used his flames, the tuft of tail was on fire and he had blue horns made of fire. Shiemi watched as Rin entertained the boy, but she was a little fearful of the flames, so she stayed further away. After a while, Dugo started chanting,

"More More More More More More."

"Sorry, Dugo. No more than this. I can't really control them all that well." The boy's mouth dropped open in shock as Rin extinguished his flames.

"I can teach you!" Rin stared at the child, eyebrows raised. "I'm the son of Iblis! King of Fire! I was born with flame much like yours, cept mine aren't as powerful." Snapping his fingers, Dugo summoned fire in his hand. His was the normal red-yellowish kind, but Rin was impressed by his level of control. Just like Rin, whenever Dugo used his flames, the end of his tail was set ablaze and small horns of fire would appear on his head.

"You'd do that for me?" Rin asked the smaller boy.

"Of course! You're my Nii-san!" As she watched the two converse, Shiemi was wondering if what was happened was a dream. _'This is so much for me to process… And I'm going to have to keep Dugo's identity a secret… I'm so bad at keeping secrets!'_

"Hey! Shiemi?" Dugo asked, walking over to her.

"Yea?" she said, trying to smile.

"I know you really like your plants and all, but can we use some to practise?" Shiemi nodded her head and Dugo went to grab one of the ardante rozo, but Shiemi grabbed him from behind before he could touch it.

"WAIT! Don't touch those! Those aren't good for demons like you and Rin. Let me get you guys some normal roses to use." Summoning her greenman, Shiemi was able to get the two of them some flowers to use for practise. As he was teaching Rin, Dugo showed complete mastery of his flames, which Rin hoped to achieve with his own. After roughly two hours of practicing, they had to stop and Dugo had to tuck his tail away, because someone was approaching the cage. Rin was worried for a second that they had seen his flames, but he decided it didn't matter. He could just tell them the truth. He was just practising using his flames so he could better control them. Besides, if the person approaching was Fujimoto, he knew that he would be able to understand most of all, considering he had wanted to train on weekends before Rin had ran away with Sophie. After the person got closer, Rin could see that it wasn't ONLY Fujimoto, but it was everyone from his feeding crew. Forgetting to switch into his emotionless state, Rin said,

"Old man? Whats going on?" It was the first time Rin had referred to him as anything other than Paladin.

"That barrier I was talking about? It's finished. You're coming home today." Rin smiled, happy to get out of this dark cage. The exorcists unlocked the cage and Shiemi exited first, followed by Rin, who was holding Dugo's hand.

"Hey, what's Dugo doing here?" Fujimoto asked.

"You know him?" Rin asked. However, without waiting for an answer to his question, he answered his father's. "Nagatomo asked Shimei to babysit him and he came with her on her visit here."

"I knew Nagatomo asked Shiemi to watch him, I just didn't expect him to come down here." As the two of them walked out of the cell, they were surrounded by exorcists, as a precaution.

"Rin? Why are they doing that? They're scaring me." Dugo said, talking about the exorcists who had their weapons drawn and aimed at Rin.

"Just ignore them Dugo. Do you want a piggy back ride?" Rin offered, trying to get the boy's mind off of the 'scary' exorcists.

"Yea!" He said, a big smile breaking out on his face. Rin rubbed the kid's short black hair and lifted him up onto his back.

"You ready to go home?" asked Fujimoto.

"I think so," said Rin with a smile._ 'I think Shiemi might have done it. She broke through the demon exterior Rin had formed over the past 2 weeks. I owe a lot of thanks to that girl.'_ thought Fujimoto. The four of them, along with the small group of exorcists, made there way up and out of the dungeon. Once in the normal vatican HQ, Fujimoto opened a door using his key to the monastery, which he, Rin, Dugo, and Shiemi all stepped into.

"Dad?" Rin said, finally calling Fujimoto what he wanted to be called. "I'm sorry… for everything… It wasn't fair of me to act the way that I did when all you were doing was trying to help me… I'm sorry…" Fujimoto was shocked at Rin's sudden confession, but when he saw where Rin was looking, he understood. He was staring at the main hall's front door, where he had singled handedly almost murdered his entire family. Fujimoto came over to his son and ruffled his hair.

"You weren't in the right mind set. You were being manipulated, it's not your fault."

"Yea…." _'I still feel bad about it though.'_ However something suddenly hit him. _'How could I have NOT felt bad about killing all those people though…. I murdered thousands of people without any remorse at all…. What's wrong with me…?'_ Rin stared at the door for a long time until Dugo snapped him out of it, complaining that he wanted to go play a game now that they were out of the dark cell. So he, Rin and Shiemi all went to go play a board game in Rin's old, and now current, room.

* * *

**AN: HEY! Sorry if this sounds weird or rushed. I tried to take it slow and even went back and re-wrote multiple parts. Anyway, be prepared for a few emotional parts next chapter! PS: Did anyone put it together last chapter (or at least suspect) that when Dugo said that Shiemi smelled like his Nii-san, that his Nii-san was Rin? Let me know! **


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: My sister, who reads these before I post them, said, "Why don't they set up that barrier in the past? That way Astaroth could never of gotten in." They couldn't set it up for a few reasons. One, it would keep Rin trapped, Two, it took help from the Grigori and Vatican to set up (which I may have forgotten to mention, Sorry) and Three, It's designed to keep things in rather than out. It works both ways, but it's more to keep Rin IN, then anything else.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ao no Exorcist.**

* * *

_[ In Assiah, Location Unknown ] _

Sophie had been filing away at her nails, mainly because she was bored. It had been four days since Rin was taken away by the exorcists and it had only taken two days to prepare for the ceremony. All that was left was to get Rin and perform it. Thing is, Rin was still in prison, at least he was until roughly an hour ago. Sophie's father came bursting into the room she had been occupying, which was a just a rather large storage closet.

"Hey dad! What up?" she said, putting on a perky smile.

"Rin was released from prison. Well, sort of. I just got word from a friend of mine inside the order. They told me he was taken back to his monastery with the Paladin. However, it would appear that they put up a immensely powerful barrier that anything demonic can't cross. Although, if we play it right, we should be able to retrieve him." Sophie's eye got wide with happiness and surprise. Rin was out, and now their plan could be set into motion.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

Rin, Dugo, and Shiemi had been playing board games for the better part of the past hour. Dugo had constantly wanted to switch from game to game, deciding that some were really boring. Eventually, Rin had had enough of the constant switching of games and so said,

"Dugo! Just pick one game and stick to it! We've been playing tons of different games for like five minutes before you switch it for a new one!" Dugo stared at Rin, a little annoyed that he was being scolded. "And you know, we don't have to play a board game. We can play something outside if you want." Dugo's ears perked up at this and he ran over to Rin, who was sitting next to a table with Shiemi, and started pulling on his hand, saying,

"Then lets go outside! Come on! We can do something out there!" Dugo stared at Rin with his fiery red eyes and made a pleading sort of face.

"Okay!" said Rin, with a big wide grin, "Let's go outside then!" Rin allowed the small boy to tug at him as the three of them went outside. Shiemi had remained quiet almost the entire time since they started playing board games and Rin was starting to worry a little. When they got outside, Rin told Dugo that they kept a few kick balls in the back and a few baseballs that they could use to play with. "They're in a small shack in the back of the monastery. Can you go get them?" The small boy nodded and took off running, heading toward the shack Rin told him about. When Dugo got out of earshot, Rin turned to Shiemi.

"Hey, are you alright? You've been quiet since we got here. Actually you've been silent since we were in the cage. Is something bothering you?" Shiemi looked up into Rin's eyes and smiled.

"No… It's just a lot to process. Dugo being a demon and all. After I found out that you were a demon I sat in my room for five hours trying to accept it. It's the same here. Although I didn't know him long, it still shocked me that he's the son of Iblis."

"I see…." Rin said, not sure how to respond.

"Plus, I've been thinking really hard about what Dugo had said. You know? About what he said about his 'Mommy's sister'? Obviously that mean he's referring to his aunt, but who could his aunt be?"

"I'm not sure… However, until we find her, I'm going to ask my dad if he can stay here. I don't think it's safe if somebody else watches him, in case they find out his secret. Also, he said he was going to help me with my flames, so I'd really like that to happen." Shiemi was going to respond, but soon Dugo returned with the balls and the two of them dropped their conversation.

"I got them!" said Dugo as he dragged a small bag behind him.

"Awesome!" said Rin, a smile spreading across his face. 'The more I look at them, the less I see them as brothers and the more I see them as father and son…' Shiemi watched as Rin and Dugo kicked around a soccer ball, Rin showing the young one how to play. Rin was trying to stop himself from laughing as Dugo repeatedly missed kicking the ball.

"Hey! I'm new at this! Don't laugh at me!" complained the younger demon. However, Rin just smiled at Dugo and went over to him and demonstrated how to kick the ball properly._ 'They get along really well too. I don't think I've seen Dugo more happy or at peace than he is right now. Granted I haven't known him long so I don't really know his personality, but he seems like such a sad and lonely child.'_ Shiemi watched quietly as the two kicked around the ball, Dugo finally getting the hang of it.

"Hey! Shiemi! Wanna join us? You look bored just standing there, all alone." Rin called out, snapping Shiemi back from her thoughts.

"Sure!" Shiemi went over to joined them. The three of them laughed, giggled, and played for a long time, until Fujimoto came out and announced to them that Shiemi had to go.

"Miss Moriyama? Your mother called and has requested that you come home. She needs you to watch the shop for her." Shiemi's smile turned to a slight frown, but she nodded. If her mother needed her to, she would go watch the shop for her. As she went inside to use a key to take her home, she called back to Rin and Dugo.

"You guys take care okay? I'll be back tomorrow! And maybe Izumo and the others will come too!" Rin smiled back at her, waving his goodbyes.

"Yeah! I'd like that a lot…" He said. After Shiemi left, Rin turned back to Dugo and asked if he wanted to keep playing or go inside.

"Why would I want to go inside? It's only 1:00 and it's a great day out!" Rin smiled at the boy and his enthusiastic energy. They continued kicking around the ball for a little while longer, until Dugo wanted to switch to catch. Rin pulled out two baseball gloves. One was his when he was a kid, which he gave to Dugo to use, and one was his father's old one, which he used. They started tossing the ball back and forth, Dugo being much better at this than kicking around the soccer ball. Dugo and Rin continued to laugh and play for quite some time, until Dugo got tired. Also, Dugo decided that Rin could use some more training, so he said,

"Rin, I'm getting tired, let's go inside. Besides, you need to practise some more." At being told what to do by Dugo, Rin made a face of annoyance, but did as the little boy told him. "Where's the most private place we can do this? I don't want people seeing us do it." Rin thought monetarily on where the best place for it would be and decided it would probably be his room, mainly because you could always hear when people were coming from the hallway. They made their way to the Rin's room and Dugo instantly started setting up. He had plucked handfuls of grass from outside and was placing single blades all across the room. Rin's task was to sense and burn all the blades of grass without letting his fire get out of control or burn anything else.

"But that seems really hard! All I can really do is spread it across my body. I've never really summoned it on something else other than my self."

"Well, that's why we have practise. Now sit down on the floor and relax." Rin did as Dugo instructed, sitting cross legged in the center of the room. "Now, just close your eyes and breath. It should come naturally, so don't try and force like you do when you get mad. Just, allow the flames to… flow... through you. Your flames will do as you say, so long as you're confident in your ability." Rin was doing his best, trying to relax his muscles and allow his flames to 'flow' like Dugo suggested. Soon, Rin summoned his flames. Like normal, his flaming horns appeared and the tuft of his tail went ablaze. Rin breathed in and out, slowly, trying to imagine the fire flowing out of him and onto the blades of grass.

"You're doing good. Now, instead of spreading your flames from out of your body, picture the blades of grass suddenly catching fire, as if from thin air." Rin did as he was told, doing what Dugo said. He had it going for a little, a few of the blades caught fire. However, when Rin opened his eyes and saw the flames doing as he told them, he got excited and his concentration broke, causing the flames to go out.

"You had it going there for a little while, at least." said Dugo. "Try it again, but don't lose focus, it's nothing to get excited about." Rin worked with Dugo for the better part of the next two hours, but they had to stop because they heard the floorboards kreek outside of Rin's room. As soon as Rin managed to put out his flames, Fujimoto walked in.

"Hey dad." said Rin, a smile across his face. "What's up?" Fujimoto returned his son's smile.

"Nothing much. Nagatomo said that nobody who knows Dugo as revealed themselves, so I offered to take him in for the time being."

"Really? Awesome! It's that great Rin?" Dugo said, excitedly. Rin nodded, his grin becoming even wider.

"Anyway, It's getting close to dinner and well…." Fujimoto's voice faded into a mumble and Rin didn't catch what he said.

"What?" Rin asked.

"I said I would like if you could…." again with the mumbles.

"Just spit it out!"

"Can you make dinner?!" Fujimoto said. "I'm sick of eating Nagatomo's cooking!" Rin looked at his father's face and burst out into hysterical laughter. "Hey! I'm asking you a serious question!"

"I'm sorry!" Rin said, between his laughs. "O-Okay. I'll do it."

"Thank you." Fujimoto was about to leave the room, however Rin called after him.

"Hey dad… How's Yukio…?" Rin asked, his voice faltering a little. Fujimoto turned back to his son, and smiled sadly.

"He's still in the hospital. He'll be up and about in roughly two days, but won't be able to return to his teaching post at the school for another few weeks."

"C-can I go see him?" Rin asked.

"I'm sorry, but no. To let you out of the barrier, the vatican would issue a full squad of exorcists. And with them breathing down my neck as it is, I'd rather not ask them for something so big, considering that they already let you live. And besides, it's just two days. He'll be back soon."

"O-Okay…" Rin said, looking down. However, just as fast as his sad mood had come, it had gone. "Guess I should go start cooking! Dugo, wanna help?" Rin said, ruffling the kid's hair.

"Sure!" The two of them rushed off to the kitchen to start the meal, however, Fujimoto remained in Rin's room. He had caught sight of something that puzzled him. Walking over to the windowsill, he discovered little tiny pieces of burnt grass. Upon further inspection of the room, he found several more pieces of burnt grass all scattered about. _'Was Rin using his flames in here? And in front of Dugo? Sure Dugo may know who and what he is, but why would he practise with Dugo around? I wonder...'_

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

Fujimoto was not, suspicious of Dugo, just curious. He noticed how easily his son had bonded with the kid and wondered why Rin would practise in front of Dugo. So, Fujimoto decided to keep an eye on the two while they went at their business, cooking dinner. He was standing a little ways off, peering through the doorway as Rin chopped some onions and Dugo helped prepare the mixing bowls and measuring cups. While Fujimoto was eyeing the two, Kuro trotted over to his master and started nuzzling Fujimoto's leg. Fujimoto went down and picked up Kuro, petting him and holding him in his arms. He whispered into the cat sidth's ears.

"Kuro, you see that boy over by Rin? The one with the red eyes and black hair? There's something off about him, I need you to keep an eye on him for me, okay?" Kuro meowed his 'Okay' and Fujimoto put him down and watched as the cat went into the kitchen. It wasn't long before Fujimoto was seeing results.

"Rin, who's this?" asked Dugo, pointing to the cat that was weaving in between his legs.

"Oh, that's Kuro. He's my dad's familiar."

"Oh, hello Kuro." Dugo said staring down at the cat. The cat stared up at the young boy, remaining silent. Soon, the boy talked to Kuro as if the cat sidth could talk. "Um… I don't know what that means…." replied the small boy.

"Dugo!" Rin said, walking over to him and crouching down so that he could whisper into the boy's ear. Fujimoto didn't hear him, but Rin said,

"If you want to hide that you're a half-demon, you can't respond to Kuro. Only demons can hear him and if people see you talking to him, they might get suspicious."

"Oh, okay." Dugo whispered back. Standing back up, Rin continued to prepare dinner, and Dugo helped him. Done with his task, Kuro left the room and went to get pet by it's master._ 'I see. So, Dugo could hear Kuro? That's what it look like. Plus after he responded, Rin went over and seemed to warn him about something. That's pretty much all the evidence that I need.'_ Fujimoto left his little viewing spot and headed off to his office. He planned to reveal Dugo during dinner.

After Rin and Dugo had finished up dinner, they called for Fujimoto, Maruta, Nagatomo, Kyodo, and Izumi. Everyone gathered in the kitchen and took their usual seat at the table. Dugo sitting where Yukio normal sat, next to Rin. For the meal, Rin and Dugo had prepared a plain fish dish with some onions, rice, and other vegetables on the side. Especially for Dugo, because he told Rin that he only ate spicy food, Rin had prepare an extra sauce that Dugo could put over his fish to make it really hot and spicy. As the group was eating dinner, conversations had sprung up all around the table. Although Rin could see some of them still had the injuries he had caused, they had done their best to make him feel normal and at home. _'They really care for me. They did all of this for me…. I am lucky to have them as my family.'_ Rin thought to himself. Fujimoto, who hadn't joined in on a conversation, watched silently as Rin and Dugo talked about what they could do tomorrow, considering Shiemi was coming back and maybe bringing more of Rin's classmates with her. However, when Dugo and Rin took a break in their conversation to eat, Fujimoto just went out and said it.

"So, Dugo, why don't you let out your tail like Rin?" The whole table stopped and looked over to Fujimoto, surprised by the question. Rin, who really wasn't expecting it, started coughing on his food. Dugo just stared at Fujimoto for a little while, but then asked,

"How did you know?"

"I saw you talking to Kuro, and I found the signed pieces of grass in Rin's room. Rin was practising in their with you. I found that a little odd for Rin to be doing something like that in front of a normal 8-year old boy. Plus, only Rin was able to talk to Kuro, because he's also a demon." The boy shrugged.

"I guess I don't gotta hide it any more." Dugo picked up his shirt and let his short, flaming red tail uncoil. "I'm the son of Iblis, Demon King of Fire."

"Ah, I see. So Rin wasn't showing his flames for fun. You were teaching him weren't you?" asked Fujimoto. However, Rin cut in,

"HEY! Why do you assume it was HIM teaching ME?" However Fujimoto just ignored him. The other four priests looked at Dugo in mild shock, but it wasn't that big of a surprise considering how weird the child had acted. It also helped that they were already accustomed to Rin being a demon.

"Yea, I was. He's gettin better at it as he goes." said Dugo.

"Well, we have no problem if you're a demon, Dugo. However, if you want to stay here, no secrets. That goes for you too Rin. No secrets anymore. Secrets are what nearly tore this family apart in the first place and I don't want that to happen again." Rin nodded, smiling. _'Neither do I.'_

"So, where's Dugo going to sleep?" Rin asked, changing the subject.

"Well, he could stay in your room for now, but when Yukio gets back, he'll have to find somewhere else."

"Well what if I just slept on the floor and he could sleep in my bed?" Rin offered.

"Yea, that could work, so long as you don't mind sleeping on the floor." replied Fujimoto. Rin looked at Dugo and ruffled his hair. He enjoyed doing that quite a bit and Dugo didn't seem to mind when he did it either.

"No, I don't mind." Dinner ended shortly after and Nagatomo and Kyodo offered to do the dishes. After they put their dishes in the sink, Rin and Dugo went off to the bath house in the back of the monastery. Rin hadn't realised it before hand, but he hadn't been able to take a bath since the vatican through him into the cage. After a quick soak, Rin and Dugo returned to their room and decided to go to bed early. Because Yukio wasn't there, Rin slept on his lower bunk, while Dugo went and slept on Yukio's top bunk. Rin was just about to doze off, when he saw Dugo leaning down over the bunk bed, staring down at Rin with his red, seemingly glowing, eyes.

"Rin?" he said. "Can I sleep with you?" Rin was a little through off by the question, however, he responded, **(1)**

"Sure thing. Come on down here." Dugo hopped off the top bunk and onto the floor. He then climbed into Rin's bed. Rin wrapped his arm and tail around the boy, much like he had when the boy had taken a nap in his cage with him. However, unlike last time, Dugo wrapped his tail around Rin too, although his tail was only able to wrap around Rin's waist one time because it was so short. Whereas Rin's tail wrapped around the small boy four times.

"Thanks Nii-san." Dugo said, as he faded off into sleep.

"You're welcome, Otouto." **(2)** Soon, Rin fell asleep with Dugo, and had the most peaceful sleep he had been able to have for quite some time.

* * *

**[ The Next Day ] (3)**

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

The next day Shiemi returned as promised. However, unlike what Rin had expected, she returned with only Izumo.

"Hey Rin!" Shiemi said, coming into the kitchen.

"Hey Shiemi," he said, turning away from the game he and Dugo had been playing. "Where's everyone else?" Noticing that only she and Izumo had come. Shiemi looked down, a little saddened.

"Oh… well.. they uh… didn't want to come…."

"I see…" said Rin, his voice lacking emotion. "Well, least you and Izumo came."

"Who's that? And why does he have a tail?" Izumo asked, pointing at Dugo.

"Oh, that's Dugo. He's a half demon like me." Rin replied. Although Shiemi's mouth just dropped open.

"I thought it was a secret!" Shiemi said.

"Yea, it was, until Fujimoto figured it out. He saw Dugo talking to Kuro, his familiar." Dugo got up from his chair and walked over to Izumo, eyeing her.

"Well! Anyway, thanks for coming guys. What do you guys wanna do?" Rin asked, trying to break the weird silence.

"Well, I thought we could all play a game of cards or something." Offered Shiemi.

"Sure, me and Dugo haven't been able to find anything to do." Rin replied. Shiemi and Izumo sat down at the table with Rin and Dugo. Shiemi, who had broughten a deck of cards, started explaining the game to everyone and passed the cards around. Unlike yesterday, Dugo actually stuck with the game and didn't complain or ask to change the game halfway through. During their strange card game, Izumo struck up a conversation.

"So, Rin. You seem to have mellowed out. Last time I saw you, you were a snarling beast, cornered in a cage."

"Yea… I was in a dark place. I'd rather not talk about it."

"Well, I talked to Suguro and the others about coming to see you, because Shiemi asked me to, but none of the, wanted to. Konekomaru was just scared, Suguro was pissed, and Shima just does whatever Suguro does. Sorry that they're idiots. I'm sure they'll come around.

"Sure…" Rin said, trying to agree with her.

"Hey, Rin?" Dugo asked, noticing how sad Rin looked. "Are you okay? You seem sad."

"Yea… I'm fine. I just.. thought they would understand…" Dugo hopped off his chair and climbed up onto Rin's lap. He stared up into Rin's blue eyes and said,

"Nii-san, stop being sad. I don't like it when you're sad." Dugo let his tail tickle Rin's nose, bringing a smile to the demon's face.

"Thanks, Dugo." Rin lifted the boy off of him and placed him back in his chair. "So, are we going to continue playing?" Izumo nodded and took her turn in the card game. They continued the game until finally Izumo had won.

"Now what?" asked Dugo.

"Well I could make us all some snacks, if you guys are hungry." Offered Rin.

"No, we should go. It's Sunday and we have a test tomorrow to study for." Izumo said.

"Oh, okay. Thank you both for coming."

"Yea! Thank you." said Dugo, following Rin's lead. The two girls left only 45 minutes after they had come.

"Well, that was a short visit, eh Nii-san?" Dugo asked.

"Yea, well you heard them, they have school tomorrow. We can't keep them from that."

"So, I guess we have some time to kill. Do you wanna go practise with your flames?"

"Sure. Why not?" Dugo and Rin went back into their room, where Dugo trained Rin, until dinner.

* * *

**AN: (1) WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME D: I wrote the question and instantly my mind went to a very dirty, creepy place. If anyone has read the fox's wedding, (now named something like 'Anima something or other') I thought of THAT. And then I went, died in a hole from the emotional scars that story left on me, then came back and continued to write.**

**(2) Nii-san is something you would say when addressing an older brother, while Otouto is something you would say when addressing a young brother. **

**(3) I'm sorry for how thing paragraph turned out. I'm practising writing my 'fluff' because usually I rush through everything. **


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: HEY EVERYONE! Hope you had a nice Valentine's Day! However, I'm not really into 'Specials' so this chapter has NOTHING to do with Valentine's Day, it's just the next chapter :P **

**Disclaimer: I Do not own Ao no Exorcist**

* * *

_[ In Assiah, A hospital ]_

Yukio laid in his bed, just like he had been for the best 3 weeks, alone with his thoughts. He had had time to think about the incident over and over and over in his head. Each time his brain would meet at a crossroad. He couldn't decide if he blamed his brother for what he had done, or if he understood that a demon was influencing his actions. Either way, he couldn't even think about what would happen when he saw his brother again. He already knew he'd fear him, like he always had. He knew, since the moment Fujimoto told him Rin was a demon, that his brother had the potential to hurt and kill people. And his brother had. He had hurt his family, hurt random strangers, he had even killed some people. And no matter how angry he'd get at his brother, no matter how much he wanted to end his own brother's life, he couldn't help but blame himself. If he had told Rin about himself, if he had warned him, had prepared him, Rin may not have been taken away, and may never have given into his demonic instincts. **(1)** However, before Yukio could argue with himself some more, the nurse walked in, coming to change his bandages.

"Hi Yukio. It's that time of the day again! Can you pull off your shirt and sit up please?" Yukio did as he was told. During his first few days at the hospital, he hadn't been able to sit up or move due to the pain. However, three weeks later, he was finally able to move again, and was told that he could soon get out of bed. Once he was able to get out of bed and walk with at least a crutch, he'd be allowed to leave. As Yukio took off his shirt, the nurse started setting up bandages on Yukio's bed stand, as well as pulling over a small waste basket and to toss the old bandages on. Yukio winced a little as the nurse pulled away the bandages, but it didn't hurt that much. What hurt like a bitch, was when the nurse sprayed the disinfectant on the wound. Yukio grinded his teeth in pain.

"Sorry Yukio. I know it hurts, but we don't want it getting infected." Yukio nodded his head in response, understanding. After she had thoroughly applied the disinfectant, the nurse wrapped Yukio's wounds up in the new bandages. "So, do you want to try standing up today? You almost had in yesterday."

"Yea, I'd like to try. Can you pass me the crutch?" The nurse handed Yukio the crutch and watched as he stood up out of the bed. He was able to walk and move around the room perfectly fine with the crutch, he looked like he didn't even need it. "Is this good enough? Can I go now?" Yukio asked, obviously sick of being in the room of so long.

"Well, I'd say yes, but it has to be approved by the doctor and, sadly, he has off on Sundays."

"What kind of doctor takes off on Sundays!?" Yukio asked, annoyed due to the fact that HE was a doctor and would never take off unless it was a planned vacation. However, everybody knew that, unless you forced him, Yukio would never take a vacation.

"Your's does." said the nurse, simply. "Anyway, I'll be going for now, let me know if you need anything." She stepped out of the room and closed the door silently. _'Should I just leave? I still have my keys so I could just… No. It'd be better to just stay. They may think I'm leaving to avoid paying.'_ Yukio, setting down the crutch, hopped back into bed. Yukio went back to his conflicting thoughts. _'Is it wrong for me to be angry? Is it wrong for me to be pitiful? I wish I knew how to feel about all of this….'_

* * *

**[ The Next Day ]**

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

"UGHHHH!" Rin complained. "Can we take a break? We've been at this for hours!" It was now Monday, and Rin and Dugo had been alone all day, because Rin's friends had school. To occupy the time, Dugo suggested that he Rin practise his flames, and he agreed. It was uncanny how fast he was able to get the hang of it, but it was Dugo's guidance that Rin credited for his progress. Currently, Rin was complaining about how long and hard his training was. Currently, Rin was working on summoning his flames on something else, in this case it was still grass, but NOT burn it. He had already mastered sensing for and setting fire to the grass, now he just needed to learn restraint. However, Rin wasn't very good at it and always burned the grass. Shrugging, Dugo responded,

"Sure. Wanna go outside and play then?" Rin, thankful for the break, said,

"Sounds like a plan!" Rin got up from the floor and he and Dugo left to go outside. On there way out, they passed Fujimoto who was frantically pacing back and forth, seeming deep in thought.

"Hey dad, what's up? You look really stressed." Fujimoto looked to his son, not even trying to hide his stress levels. Fujimoto pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stop the oncoming headache.

"It's nothing. An Aria has dropped off the grid and nobody can find him. Usually it wouldn't be my job to find him, but the Grigori are breathing down my neck on this one. And I can't seem to find him anywhere, no matter where I send people to look."

"Wow, seems like a big deal for one person. What's so special about him?" Fujimoto looked like he was about to say something, but then stopped himself. Rin noticed, but didn't say anything when Fujimoto tried to change the topic of the conversation.

"It's not important. What are you and Dugo up to?"

"Uh.. We were just going outside. We haven't decided yet, but were probably going to play catch or something."

"Cool. You guys have fun with that." Without another word, Fujimoto exited the room, rather hastily.

"What's up with him?" Asked Dugo, noticing Fujimoto's strange behavior. "He seems less… happy."

"Yea, I noticed. I'm not sure. He's really stressed with work and everything. Maybe we should cook something special for him for dinner tonight." Dugo looked up at Rin and nodded in agreement. The two continued their way outside to play their games.

"So, Nii-san, what do you want to play?" Rin was about to offer soccer, because he enjoyed that game better, but Dugo wasn't very good at it and there games weren't that fun. Instead, Rin said,

"How about catch? Can you go get the balls and gloves?" Dugo nodded his head vigorously and rushed off to the small shack in the backyard. Rin sat down on the front steps and waited for Dugo to return, however, someone else showed up.

"Rin." Rin searched for the source of the voice and found it on the sidewalk on the outside of the gate. Rin stared wide eyed at the girl standing there.

"Sophie…" Rin took off, running towards Sophie to embrace her in a hug. However, the barrier stopped him. When he tried to leave through the apparently open gate, he was knocked back by a miniature explosion. "Damn that barrier…" Rin grunted.

"Rin? What's wrong?" Sophie asked. Rin wiped away a small amount of blood that he had gotten from a nosebleed.

"They set up a giant barrier around the monastery. They turned my old home into my new prison." Sophie didn't seem phased by the new information at all. She infact already knew about the barrier.

"Well then here." She swiftly pulled out an exorcist key, and chucked it at Rin. Luckily for her, the barrier wasn't able to stop physical objects. "Use that key to get out of here. My dad and mom are waiting on the other side, they'll take you to where you need to go." She started to walk away, but Rin called after her.

"But I'm not sure if I want to leave!" This caused Sophie to come to a grinding halt. Back tracing her steps, she returned to in front of the gate.

"What?" She asked, as if she thought she had misheard him.

"I said, I don't want to go. I-I hurt people Sophie…. here I can't do that…" Rin's tail shook nervously back and fourth. Sophie couldn't believe what she was hearing._ 'I spent two whole weeks turning him into the demon he was and they reversed all that work in a few DAYS? Whatever. I still need him either way.'_

"But Rin…"

"Sophie I'm sorry…. I really missed you… and it's nice to see you again, but I don't think I can leave. If I do… I don't know what could happen."

"Rin, come on. I've been running from exorcists left and right, all just to get back to you. YOU'RE the one who told me to come get you, anyway! Now come on, we have to get going befo-"

"Nii-san! Get away from here!" Dugo had returned with the balls and gloves, but he dropped them rushing to Rin. He grabbed ahold of his hand tugging Rin backwards away from Sophie.

"D-Dugo?" Rin said, surprised by the boy's sudden appearance. "What's wrong with Sophie? She and her family protected me back when I was on the run from the exorcists."

"Nii-san! You don't understand! She's the daughter of A-"

"Rin! You have to hurry! I'm risking a lot to be here right now! I need you to make a choice right now." Rin glared down out at the key, but before he could choose what to do, Dugo grabbed the key and through it back at Sophie.

"Go away Sophie! I won't let you hurt Nii-san!" The small 8-year old boy took a step in between Sophie and Rin, hold his arms out in a protecting notion.

"I don't want to have to do this the hard way. So either let Rin come or we'll take him by force, Dugo." Dugo's eyes widened, afraid of Sophie's threat.

"Dugo, calm down. How do you know Sophie? And what's so wrong about her? Me and her are actually kinda together."

"No…. Y-You can't be! She's just tricking you! Nii-san, we have to go back inside, where it's safe." Dugo started pushing Rin back, making sure to remain in between Rin and Sophie at all times.

"Dugo, stop it. Don't make me hurt Rin. Neither of us want that." Dugo turned back to Sophie, and Rin looking up from Dugo to Sophie. He very confused by her comment.

"I wont let you!" Dugo said, his flames coming out. His red tail lit up and his small, fiery horns appeared. However, Sophie sighed, unimpressed.

"I'm sorry Rin! I didn't want it to come to this." Rin just continued to stare at Sophie, the whole situation taking a toll on his mind._ 'What does she mean? Hurt me? Why would Sophie hurt me? And why is Dugo so against Sophie? This is so confusing...'_ Sophie snapped her fingers and three people came out of from their various hiding spots. One had been hiding behind the wall in which the gate was connected to. He walked through the open gate perfectly fine._ 'He's not a demon. So is he an exorcist? No that can't be, Sophie and her family are on the run from them...'_ Two others came out, but they were hiding BEHIND Rin and Dugo, on monastery ground. Dugo growled as the man coming in from the gate got closer.

"Stay away!" he roared, blasting fire towards the man. However, the man easily side stepped the attack.

"Dugo, last chance. Let Rin come with us, or I'm going to have to hurt him." 'There she goes again with hurting me. No offense to her, but what could she possibly do? These guys aren't exorcists. They don't have anti-demon weapons. Me and Dugo could easily take them.'

"Just go away Sophie!" Dugo yelled, obviously not wanting Rin to go with her.

"No." she replied plainly. What she did next, surprised Rin and Dugo greatly. She started to recite the mantra to Rin's tail binding. Rin fell to the ground in immense pain, unable to bare it. His tail twitched in every which direction, displaying his pain. He screamed out in agony.

"Rin?" Dugo said, stepping towards Rin, wanting to comfort him in some way, but not being able to. "Stop it Sophie! You're hurting Nii-san!"

"Dugo…. R-Run…. Ge…. The… Paladin…" Rin responded as best he could. _'Dammit…. how does Sophie know the mantra?'_ Rin couldn't move because he was in too much pain. And was helpless when one of the strangers, a strong male, single handedly lifted Rin up and placed him on his back.

"No! Let him go!" yelled Dugo, swiping at the man with his hand, but missing. The man by the gate replied to Dugo's attack with a threat.

"You heard what Sophie said. Don't fight back, or else she'll have to cause Rin more pain. You don't want that now, do you?" Dugo huffed, clenching his fists as he did so. However, he did as they said and stood down. His flames dying out as well. It wasn't long before Rin passed out from the pain. After she noticed Rin had passed out, Sophie stopped reciting. Sighing, Sophie looked at Rin, saddened that Dugo hadn't let him come willingly.

"Hey, Mary," Sophie said to one of the three people. "Grab Dugo. My mom's been looking everywhere for him. Plus I don't want to leave any witnesses."

"Sophie…" Dugo said in his small voice. "What did you do to Nii-san?" Tears flowing down his face.

"Don't worry Dugo he's still alive. And if you want him to stay that way, you'll go with Mary there." Dugo looked up at the 'Mary' person, and just nodded. He believed that they would actually kill Rin, so he didn't try anything funny. Sophie tossed the third guy, the one who wasn't helping carry the two demon boys, the key.

"Now, use that key and meet up with my parents. I'll be there soon."

"Wait, Sophie!" said the man carrying Rin. "Why don't you just come with us?"

"I'm half-demon too! I can't cross the barrier. Don't you listen to anything?" The man just stood there, not getting it through his head. "Dammit, Joey, you're as dumb as a rock…" Sophie took off, trying to find a nearby door that was outside the barrier. Left alone in the courtyard, the three strangers took Rin and Dugo to the monastery's front doors.

"Why are you doing this to Nii-san?" asked Dugo, still crying. The lady, Mary, responded in a malicious voice,

"Isn't it obvious? We only want whats best for the prince."

"A-Are you guys demons…?"

"No! Although I wish I was… No, we're in a cult with Sophie and her family. All we want is to do as Lord Satan has commanded. And he requested that we deliver his son to him." Dugo remained silent, not quite understanding what Mary was saying. Now at the doors, the third guy put in the key and opened the door. It led to an abandoned alley-way that was barely big enough to fit a van.

"Interesting. I've never seen one of these keys work before." He said. "What wonderful creations." The small group stepped through the door and into the alley. Closing the door behind her and Dugo, Mary saw that the door they had come out to was connected to the building. It was probably where people living in the building exited to dump out trash.

"Good, so there were no problems?" called Charles from out the van's driver side window.

"Nope, everything ran smoothly." replied the man with the key. Silvia, who had been standing by the side of the van, opened the door so that the passengers could get in. However, when her eyes landed on Dugo, she was quite surprised.

"DUGO?!" she called out, rushing to the small boy, hugging him. "Dugo! Why would run away like that! Why did you steal Charles' key? Those exorcists could have KILLED you!" Dugo sniffled, wiping his nose with the sleeve of his shirt.

"I wanted to find Nii-san…" He pointed to Rin as Joey placed him in a seat in the van. "And you three are evil! You have Sophie put everyone you need to on strings and control them!" He stated blandly. Silvia just gave him an irritated looked before she ushered him into the van. Afterwards, she climbed into the passenger seat in the front, next to her husband. They all filled up the van, save for one seat, which would be Sophie's when she arrived. It took roughly twenty minutes, but Sophie eventually showed up. She came out of the door, bleeding, battered, and her clothing was torn. Silvia, seeing her like this through the rear-view mirror, jumped out of the car, and ran to her daughter.

"Sophie! What happened?!"

"I'll tell you later! But for now we have to go! They won't be far behind." Silvia nodded, leading and helping her daughter into the van. Seeing her in her bloody state, Charles said with concern,

"Sophie, what the hell happened? It took you so much time to get here! And you like you've been hit by a bus!"

"Just drive, I'll explain on the way." Charles nodded, stepping on the gas petal. They accelerated out of the alley, and turned left. It wasn't long before they were on route to their destination, the sight of the ceremony. Once they were on the highway, Sophie began her story.

* * *

**[ Twenty Minutes Earlier ]**

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

Sophie left the three Satanists to do their job and get Rin back to her parents. Now all she had to do was find a door and do the same with the second key her father had given her. She ran into a nearby convenience store and made her way to the restroom. She planned to use the key on the bathroom door, mainly because it was private and nobody would see. However, someone HAD seen. And that someone was NOT a nice person. AS she went to insert the key into the restroom's lock, it was shot out of her hand expertly by a man on a crutch. Sophie looked to her old teacher, staring daggers at her.

"Aren't you supposed to be in a hospital?" She asked, mocking him.

"Aren't YOU supposed to be in jail? My dad told me what happened. You're the one who housed my brother for two weeks until he was found and captured." Sophie just huffed at him. When she spoke next her voice seemed layered, like there were two of three of her talking.

**"Get out of my way."** Yukio had a sudden urge to do what the girl said. He looked at the girl was literally about to do as she said, when he realized what was going on. _'She's a demon! She has powers of persuasion. I should be careful, who knows what this girl can do.'_ "Oh? You're strong enough to resist my mesmer? Fine, deal with this!" She thrusted out her hand and to any passerby, nothing happened. However, for Yukio, a swarm of locusts came shooting out of the girls arm and started rushing towards Yukio. Yukio raised his hand in cover, however quickly realized that the locusts weren't real. Sadly for him, Sophie had taken his moment of confusion to slip away. He saw her running away, key in hand searching for a new door.

"Oh no you don't!" Yukio roared, throwing down his crutch, taking off in a run after her. Instantly, he felt some of his stitches coming undone, but he didn't care. He needed to catch her. Yukio recited a quick prayer as he was running, protecting him from the effects of hallucinations, although it probably wouldn't last too long. Eventually, Yukio started gaining on the girl and took a few shots at her, hitting her in the arm and shoulder. He heard her scream out in pain, but she didn't stop running.

"Get back here Sophie!" Yukio took another shot at the girl and it met it's mark in her thigh. This time, she went crashing to the floor, unable to move very much. Yukio slowed down, no longer needing to run and further tear his stitches. He walked over to the girl and stood over her. "This is for hiding my brother!" he said. He pointed his gun at the girl's head and was about to pull the trigger when he heard tons of other guns get raised. Yukio hadn't noticed, or bother to think about it, but when he shot his gun off, the entire store emptied out and the police were called. They were now there, pointing their guns at Yukio. "Dammit…"_ 'I can't very well shot her, or else these guys may shoot back. Dammit…. the cops in True Cross Academy City know that the badge of an Exorcist represents authority, but these guys don't…. DAMMIT! Dad can probably get me out of this, but the girl will get away…'_ Reluctantly, Yukio held up his hands in surrender, dropping his gun. The chaos that ensued afterwards was crazy. Yuki was tackled, cuffed, and led away. All the while, he watched as Sophie was easily able to slip away from the cops, thanks to her abilities. She used her key and left. _'Well…. This sucks… first day out of the hospital and I'm going to jail….'_

**AN: (1) IM SORRY! It was just another good place to put it in there….. I hate to say it, but this might not be the last time D: I CAN'T STOP MYSELF!**

**TADA! How did Sophie know the mantra?! And 'Mommy's Sister' was Silvia! BUMBUMBUM! Just how diabolical are these people?! WHAHAHA :D You're going to find out very soon! The ceremony takes place next chapter!**


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: I doubt ANYWAY can expect what's about to happen :D This is , personally, my favorite chapter! **

**Disclaim: I do not own Ao no Exorcist**

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_[ In Assiah, Location Unknown ]_

Rin come back to consciousness very slowly. He was first aware of something stroking his tail and it felt heavenly. They person or thing stroking his tail seemed to know exactly where to rub it, because it made Rin feel amazing. Rin could feel and hear himself purring and tried to stop, thinking it to be embarrassing, but couldn't. After a few minute of just lying there, eyes still closed, enjoying the feeling in his tail, Rin became aware of voices talking, but they seemed so far away. All he could hear was muffled ramblings. It took a long time, what felt like five minutes, until Rin could clearly make out what the voices were saying.

"-will he be ready?" asked and impatient voice. Charles.

"I don't know, you can't rush these things." replied a much more calm, sincere voice. Rin decided that it was Sophie's.

"Well, hurry up. The exorcists are probably looking for him as we speak." Rin could hear the slamming of the door, but silence soon overcame the room. Rin tried to open his eyes, but the light was too blinding, so they remained closed. He tried to sit up, but something pushed him back down.

"Hey Rin. I didn't know you were up."

"S-Sophie?" Rin asked, in a quiet voice. Rin felt as the hands stopped rubbing his tail and moved to his hair.

"Yes. I'm here for you Rin." Rin tried to open his eyes again, and had more luck this time, his eyes slowly adjusting to the light. He looked up and saw Sophie, looking down at him. She had lain his head on her lap. Rin noticed that they were on a couch in a small, white room.

"Wh-Where am I?" Rin asked, trying once more to sit up. However, like last time, Sophie pushed him back down, saying,

"Rin, calm down. You need your rest!"

"Just let me up Sophie." Rin said, his voice lacking any and all emotion.

"When did you become so cold?" Sophie asked, letting him sit up.

"When did you learn the mantra?" Rin replied, his voice growing cold.

"You're just like your brother…" Sophie commented.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Anyway, now that you're awake, we can start."

"Start what?"

"The ceremony of course! Now come on." Sophie got up from the couch and grabbed Rin's arm, trying to pull him up, but Rin quickly pulled his arm out of Sophie's grib.

"I'm not going anywhere with you until you explain yourself." Sophie glared at Rin, but sighed.

"Fine. What do you want to know?"

"Well, let's start off with how you know the mantra." Rin said.

"That's easy. We kidnapped the exorcist that was apart of your feeding unit, the aria, and I…. persuaded… him to teach me it."

"What do you mean 'persuaded'?" Sophie stared into Rin's eyes and decided that she might as well tell him her secret now.

"Well, Dugo tried to tell you this earlier, but I'm the daughter of Azazel, Demon king of Spirits." Rin looked at her, his eyes wide in surprise._ 'Sophie is a…. demon? Granted she's like me, so she only a half-demon… but…. how come I couldn't sense her? All this time….'_

"Anyway, this allows me to access people's minds and spirit, manipulating them." Rin couldn't believe what she was telling him.

"D-Did…. you use your powers… on me?" he asked sadly. He thought that they had had something, a real connection. He didn't want to admit it, but being with Sophie was one of the happiest moments of his live, and now he was being told that it might have been all fake.

"Yes. I did. And I've been trying to do so since you woke up, but that cursed tail binding seems to protect you from mental attacks. Must've been built in when they figured out you were being controlled." Sophie spoke so simply and unemotionally._ 'Did she even care about me at all…. Did she just do everything just to get me here…?'_ Trying to pull himself together, Rin continued with his questions.

"How do you know Dugo?" Rin asked, his voice quiet and small.

"Oh, Dugo is my cousin. His mother was apart of Charles' and Silvia's cult. However, she was an extremist like my mother. Extremists, as we refer to them, are those that go so far as to come into contact with demon kings. My mother and Dugo's mother both called forth and were impregnated by demon kings. A few months ago, Dugo burnt down his house for fun. However, he didn't know his mother was inside and it killed her. Afterwards, my family took him in. After I was inducted into the cram school, Dugo ran away. Apparently he was hiding in the vatican headquarters for weeks! And only revealed himself when he heard that you had been captured." Rin took in all the information, shocked by what he was hearing. Rin was about to ask another question when someone walked into the room. Rin recognized it as the man who had picked him up back at the monastery.

"Sophie, Charles said to-"

**"I said don't interrupt me while I'm in here, LEAVE."** Sophie's voice seemed to be layered, as she spoke in her hypnotic voice. Joey's face went blank and his eyes appeared to glaze over. He didn't say another word as he left the room and closed the door behind him.

"What," asked Rin in disbelief, "was that?" Sophie turned her gaze back to Rin.

"It's my mesmer!" She said in a gleeful voice. "Well, I actually don't know what it's called, I just got that name from a book." **(1)** "Basically, It like instant hypnotism. When people hear that voice, they will do whatever I say. Some people are better at resisting it than others, but you weren't. The only thing stopping me from doing that," she said as she pointed to the door that Joey left out of, "is that." She pointed at the binding on Rin's tail.

"Y-You… used that on me before?" She nodded her head, still not caring about Rin's feelings.

"Back when you had nearly killed you family, I used the mesmer to force you to kill the people of your neighborhood." Rin stared at the girl he had considered to be his girlfriend in horror. How could he have let her do things like that to him? How could he have been so weak? _'I guess that's what she means by 'persuaded'_

"Now, that's all the time we have for questions. Let's get going." Sophie said retaking Rin's hand. However, again he ripped it away.

"Why the hell would I go with you?!" However, in response Sophie just sighed and said,

"Because it would be so much easier and less painful for you." Rin snarled at her, but because she knew the mantra, didn't try anything. He got up and let her grab him hand. Taking him out of the room, Sophie dragged Rin down the numerous halls, all with the small white walls as the room he had awakened in.

"Where are we going anywhere?" Rin asked.

"To the ceremony room! We have been preparing this building for two whole days but its finally ready."

"And what is the ceremony?" Sophie ran her free hand down Rin's neck and back, playing replying as she did so.

"You'll see!" Eventually, after walking down what seemed like fifty hallways, Rin and Sophie arrived in a large square room. This one was much more menacing than the plane white hallways though. The room itself was black and it's only light source were four torches in the four corners of the room. In the center of the room was a slightly raised, circular platform. On it was a pentagram drawn, in what Rin believed to be, blood. In the five points of the star were blue candles, unlit. The room was filled with people wearing black robes that covered their heads and faces, all of which Rin assumed to be Satanists, like Sophie and her parents. Doing a quick scan of the room, Rin guessed there to be around 40 people in the room. Rin also noticed that on all four walls of the room, there were pentagrams identical to the one drawn in the center of the room.

"Come on!" Sophie said, happily. as she pulled Rin into the room. Rin walked cautiously towards the center with Sophie leading him, when he caught sight of a figure, smaller than the rest and not wearing a robe. Behind said figure was a small red tail.

"Dugo!" Rin called out to him. The small boy looked up from the floor and stared at Rin. Screaming in response Dugo said,

"Rin! Nii-san you have to run!" Dugo was about to run to Rin, but Rin watched as two of the people in black robes held him back. However, that's not what caused Rin to be filled with dread. What caused Rin's eyes to widen in horror is when he saw Dugo had a tail binding on. And not just any tail binding, it was HIS old one. _'Charles actually kept it?! That asshole!'_ Rin was about to break free of Sophie's grip and run to Dugo, but Sophie whispered into his ear.

"If you try anything I'll recite the mantra. And guess what Rin? Your mantra, is the same as Dugo's. You don't want me to hurt poor little Dugo do you? Who knows how much pain that poor little boy's body can take." Rin growled at Sophie, but she just giggled at him. Now, Sophie and Rin were on the center platform and all the Satanists gathered around them.

"Now, stand right here." She said, guiding Rin to his place in the center of the pentagram. Without warning or seeming reason, Sophie yanked really hard on Rin's tail, causing him to cream out in pain and fall to his knees.

"Nii-san!" cried out Dugo, who was probably the only other one, aside from Sophie, who knew how much that pulling on someone's tail hurt. As Rin gathered his bearings, Sophie clasped chains around his legs, that would prevent him from standing up. She also latched chains around Rin's wrists and neck, rendering him immobile. The only thing he could do was slouch a little.

"The… hell are you.. doing?" He asked her through gasps of air, still trying to get over the sudden pain in his tail.

"Preparing you." Using a small knife, Sophie cut off Rin's shirt revealing his bare chest. "Now, Dad, you have the silver?" At the word 'silver' Rin's whole body visibly tensed. Silver was VERY effective against demons. It had a very good chance of killing them and the wound them left could take forever to heal. Sometimes, if they were severe enough, they left scars.

"Yes, I do." called Charles from somewhere among the hooded crowd. Charles came out of the crowd hold a long piece of silver that resembled a brand. Behind him was Silvia, ushering a very scared Dugo. Rin looked at the piece of silver and noticed that it was, infact, a brand. However, the symbol on it was what scared Rin the most. It was the unholiest symbol out there. It was the one that was was created in honor of his father. It was the Satanic Cross. **(2)**

Rin watched in horror as Sophie took ahold of the metal and grinned devilishly at Rin. She took the metal and walked over to Dugo, crouching down in front of him.

"Hey Dugo! What's up buddy! Can you do me a favor? I need this piece of silver her extra hot for Rin, can you please heat it up for me." After her statement, Rin heard her whisper something to Dugo that he didn't quite catch. However, he assumed it was a threat of some sort. In a small, reluctant voice, Dugo replied,

"...fine…. I'm Sorry Nii-san! I'm really really sorry!" Rin noticed as tears streamed down his face. However, he did as he was told, holding out both of his hands and setting them on fire. The display of fire caused the crowd to murmur in excitement and shock, but the murmuring soon died down. After Dugo had heated up the silver enough for the brand to start glowing, Silvia and Charles took the boy off the platform.

"Now, time to begin!" Sophie stepped up to Rin and regan to recited some strange verse.

_"Through the power of thine lord, I ask to release this boy from his hardships. Allow him to relish in thine lord's fire. Allow his to escape his restraints and descend to his place in thine lord's kingdom. Let him accept his fate, as a follow of thine lord, SATAN!"_ As she was speaking the phrases, the pentagrams in the room began to glow blue with power. As she spoke the last word of her verse, Sophie plunged the silver brand onto Rin's chest, right over his heart. Rin screamed out in pain from the burning silver, but Sophie continued, starting a second verse.

_"Break this one's bonds with the thoughts of heaven and god! Let him fulfill his job as a follower and worshipper of thine lord! Allow him to see the error in his ways and to accept thine lord! Allow him to serve thine lord with his heart body and soul! Allow this young man to be yours, now and forever! Thine lord, Satan!"_ Throughout her recitement, Rin screamed out in pain, the silver scorching his skin. However, something unexpected happened after she was done reciting. Rin's flames burst forth, uncontrollably. He hadn't summoned them at all, even though he was in so much pain. He had kept them suppressed, but now, they had just came forth, like someone had drawn his sword. After her reciting, Sophie withdrew the brand from Rin's chest, relieving him of some pain.

"W-What….. Happ….end?" Rin asked, gasping extremely hard.

"We released you from the bindings of the Kurikara sword. It no longer hold your powers. Most likely, it has shattered to pieces." Rin stared at Sophie in horror. He hadn't yet gained control of his powers. He had gotten better at it since Dugo helped him, but he wasn't ready for this. The hooded figures all looked at Rin, his blue flames burning brightly. They had died down since the initial release and they were now only on his tail, horns, and a little bit on his arms and legs. However, with the fire, came his red rimmed eyes, and his bloodlust. Rin watched as the hooded figures slowly and one by one got down on one knee and stared at Rin, idolizing him. Rin looked away from them, staring at the brand mark on his chest. He noticed that it wasn't healing at all and it didn't look much like a brand. It seemed more like a blue tattoo. He stared at it curiously, and as if knowing what he was thinking, Sophie said,

"It's blue rather than skin colored because the brand was covered in brimstone **(3)** and because of your lineage." Rin just stared at Sophie, pure hatred in his eyes, gasping. "Now," she said, releasing Rin from the chains. "time for Dugo." Rin's eyes shot wide open, and he roared at Sophie, his flames flaring up.

"No! I won't let you do that to Dugo! Do what you want to me, but leave Dugo out of this!" However, Sophie just laughed at Rin.

"Sorry Rin, but you don't get to decide that." She tossed the silver brand to Charles, who had walked up onto the platform. "You handle Dugo's initiation, I'm going to keep an eye on Rin, make sure he doesn't interfere. You two!" she pointed at two random hooded figures. "Grab Rin. Don't worry, he won't hurt you, he knows what will happen if I have to recite his mantra." His practically hissed at Sophie in disgust, but didn't attacked the men and they dragged him out of the room. The group was followed by a smiling, giggling Sophie. The last thing Rin saw of Dugo, before he was dragged out of the room, was Silvia strapping him into the chains and Charles addressing the crowd.

"Now! Shall we begin?"

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Police Station ]_

Yukio had been detained for hours! The police had given him his one phone call, which he used to call his dad. Not only had he been charged with assault, but he was charged with possession of guns, grenades, and other strange weaponry such as knives and daggers. However, Fujimoto was able to clear Yukio's name easily by pulling the oldest trick in the exorcist book. The exorcists, for cases such as this one, when an exorcist gets caught in the public eye, have set up a connection with a small part of the government. All it takes is for the Paladin, the Grigori, or any exorcists who is a branch head, like Mephisto, to call up the number and have the accused cleared as a member of CIRO, the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office of Japan. After this, the government also declares the person or thing that the accused exorcist was attacking, as a terrorist. After that, the accused are generally let go. In this case, Yukio was released, but not after wasting roughly 3 hours in the police station. Now, with the police station behind them, Yukio and Fujimoto were walking home.

"Thanks dad. Sorry I had to waste your time." Yukio said.

"It's fine. In hindsight you should have told me you were coming home today. I could have walked you home from the hospital. Anyway, that doesn't matter right now, we've got bigger things to deal with." Yukio stared at his father quizzingly.

"What's going on?"

"Rin's gone missing."

"WHAT?! HOW?! Maruta visited me the other day and said you guys had erected a barrier that he couldn't possibly get through."

"We don't know, but If I bring this to the attention of the Vatican, they won't give Rin another chance. We have to find him and we have to bring him back. If we can't find him within the next twelve hours, we're going ot have to bring this to the Vatican." Fujimoto quickened his pace, and Yukio, with his injured stomach, did his best to follow suit.

"Why would Rin do something like this?"

"We don't know his reasons for leaving, but he took Dugo with him."

"Who's Dugo?" Yukio asked, never hearing the name before.

"He's a half-demon like Rin. He's the son of Iblis, Demon King of Fire. We found him just randomly roaming the halls of the Vatican and took him in. He and Rin have really bonded."

"I see."

"Anyway, I've already sent out Maruta, Izumi, Kyodo, and Nagatomo to look for him, however, I doubt they will come up with much." _'Nii-san…. why did you run away?'_ Thought Yukio.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, Location Unknown ]_

Rin was thrown into a room, much similar to the one he had originally woken up in, except this one was empty. The two hooded figures let the room, leaving Rin and Sophie alone. Rin stared daggers at the girl.

"Oh come on! Don't give me that look! I was kind enough to not make you watch wasn't I?" Sophie mocked.

"The hell do you even want! Just let Dugo go! He doesn't have anything to do with this!"

"But he does!" replied Sophie, as she walked closer to Rin. Instinctively, Rin scrambled backwards until he hit a wall, but Sophie continued to advance on him. She sat down and yanked him forward into a hug. Rin knew not to resist. She could do whatever she wanted with him and he wouldn't be able to stop her. She knew the mantra and that meant she held immense power over him. "He was a very important role in my plan, as do you."

"And what's your plan? To send me packing to Gehenna?"

"Is that what you though?! HA! Not even close." Rin was surprised by the girl's response. He couldn't think of anything else that she would want from him. As she held Rin in her embrace, she removed one hand to play with his hair. Rin just stared at his hands and arms trying to will the flames to go away, but failing. He learned to accept the flames, but he didn't like that they were here to stay. He wanted them to go away. _'What about Dugo? Why doesn't HE have flames coming of him. Does he have his powers sealed away, or is he able to hide them after living with them his whole live?'_

"So, what IS your plan then?" asked Rin.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Sophie replied. The two sat there, Sophie continuing to play with Rin's hair, for a while, until there was a knock at the door. Sophie got up and opened it to reveal two men holding Dugo between them, chest baring the same mark as Rin's but Red instead. Tears were streaming down his face.

"Dugo!" Rin yelled, but a quick glance from Sophie told him to stay put.

"I see the ceremony went well. I'll leave you two be." Sophie said. The men pushed Dugo forward into the room and he went running straight to Rin, who held him in a hug. "Now, don't go trying any funny business. I'm going to place a ward on the door, so it might hurt a little to open it." Without another word, Sophie left with the silent, hooded men, closing the door behind her as she left.

"Nii-san…" Dugo said, choking on his words.

"Shhh… calm down… it's okay… we'll be alright…. we'll be alright…." Rin did his best to soothe the crying child, not quite sure how to. After a while, Dugo had calmed down, and stopped crying. Looking over the boy, Rin noticed that Dugo wasn't flaming like he was. _'So that rules out the powers sealed away in a weapon theory. He must just be really good at controlling them.'_ Sniffling, Dugo said,

"I told you Sophie was evil…. They all are…"

"That reminds me Dugo, what happened while you were with Sophie and her family? Sophie gave me a small recap, but I don't think I can trust her. Can you tell me your story?" Dugo stared at Rin for a little bit, but then nodded.

"Well first, I burnt down my mommy's house," saying this made Dugo reflexively break out into a grin, "killing her inside. Afterwards, mommy's sister found me. She took me in and acted all nice a sweet, but then she told me about everything. WHY I had my flames, exorcists, demons, and, unfortunately, Satanists. Apparently, my Mommy was a Satanist, but she had left the cult for some reason, so my mommy didn't raise me like Sophie was raised. I was taken to numerous cult meetings with Sophie, forced to participate in strange cruel rituals. It was terrible. The only thing I was scared of was Sophie herself. I saw her force others do anything she wanted. I didn't want that to happen to me, to be forced against my will to do things… So I did the stuff in the meetings. Finally, Sophie left to go retrieve what mommy's sister called, my Nii-san. When she did, I was finally free of the fear that had kept me there, so I stole one of the keys they had and left." Rin listened to Dugo's story, listening intently to every detail. He felt bad for the things the kid must of gone through. Rin didn't even want to imagine what happened at the cult meetings considering what had just happened to him and Dugo a few minutes ago.

"After I left, I wound up in the strange new building, where I hid for a few weeks. I had memorized the guards shift changes, and found the best hiding spots. When I got bored I would go and play in the halls. However, one day there was this big fuss and everyone was frantically moving around, not in the normal patterns. I overheard something about a guy named Rin and remembered that mommy's sister also called my Nii-san, Rin. So I decided I wanted to meet you. And I was glad that I did. And that's my story." Rin stared at the kid, impressed. It would take a lot to be able to hide IN the Vatican Headquarters and not get caught.

"Wow… I never Sophie was so cruel…. I can't believe I let her trick me like that…." Rin said, speaking more to himself the Dugo. After that, the two demon boys sat side by side, backs against the wall until they dozed off into naps.

* * *

**AN: (1) Anyone know that book that Mesmer comes from? 10 points if anyone can name the book series that uses the Mesmer as a means of hypnotism.**

**(2) If you want to know what it looks like, look it up. It looks like the infinity symbol with a line sticking out of it and two more lines over the line that that sticks out of the infitnty symbol. I'm trying to find a website that was put it into text and not a picture for this.**

**(3) Brimstone is another word for Sulfur, which causes fire to turn blue when you burn it**


	21. Chapter 21

**AN: HOLA! Nothing new here, just wanted to thank everyone who has read this far and everyone who has reviewed this! Thank you everyone!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ao no Exorcist**

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_[ In Assiah, Location Unknown ]_

The room was dimly lit. It's only source of light coming from it's window, which a setting sun could be seen through. Sophie sat in an office swivel chair, her feet up on the desk positioned in front of her. Her parents were both standing guard, outside the room, while Mary, one of the three who had helped take Rin and Dugo, was talking with Sophie. Although she was very young, Sophie was generally accepted as the leader of the cult, due to her demon lineage. And while Mary respected what Sophie did, said, and commanded, she found herself questioning Sophie's latest actions. Mary, Joey, and Phil, the three who had assisted in capturing Dugo and Rin, were all told they were doing so because Satan had ordered Rin's return to Gehenna. However, Rin was still here in Assiah. Why? So, she had made her way to Sophie's office, seeking an audience with the girl. She had accepted, and Mary found herself in front of the girl, new found terror growing in her.

"Sophie." She greeted the girl with a slight bow.

"Mary." Sophie replied, her voice and eyes as cold as ice.

"You told us that we would be returning Rin to our lord. Why have we not done so?" Sophie eyed the girl a little, the look of a predator on her face.

"Silly little Mary!" Sophie said, standing up. She crossed the room and stood directly in front of the woman. "Lord Satan may have asked for Rin, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to hand him over! I have my own plans for him." Mary stared at the girl, shock running through her.

"Y-You would betray our lord? Why? W-We have to do everything out lord asks of us! If we don't, he will surely smite us down with his power!"

"Yes, but, if properly cultivated, Rin can surpass lord Satan's power. It may take years, centuries even, but Rin will live for a long time. He is a demon after all. After I make him powerful enough, I will use him to destroy lord Satan and have Rin claim his rightful place as lord of Gehenna!" Sophie smiled gleefully at Mary, her face contorting with apparent madness.

"K-Kill Satan? You would challenge our lord?! You would go against him?! You filthy wench!" Mary went to throw a punch at Sophie, but Sophie easily stopped her attack.

**"Stop."** Mid swing, Mary was forced to stop as Sophie's mesmer hit her ears. "You humans are so petty! You blindly commit yourselves to Gods and Demons and Lords and Religion! None of you can actually ACT without being told what to do! And that's why I'm here! I'm here to show and tell you all what to do!" Sophie's mouth broke out into a very wide and creepy grin as she stared at Mary who was stuck in place.** "Now, go find Joey and Phil and bring them back here. Don't speak unless absolutely necessary. I'm going to have to dispose of all of you. Can't have you spreading rumors about be going against lord Satan's orders now can I?"** Mary's eyes glazed over and she nodded politely, now lacking emotions. As she left the room, Sophie returned to her desk, putting her feet up once more. _'I don't understand these humans. They follow lord Satan so blindly, it's pathetic. At least I can use that to get what I want more easily.'_ It wasn't long before Mary returned with the other two. Joey and Phil both bowed a little as they walked in, it was customary. However, before either of them could ask what Sophie wanted to see them for, Sophie spoke.

**"Kill yourselves."** Two of them instantly took out weapons, each varying per person and there fighting techniques. Mary shot herself in the head with a pistol and Joey slit his throat with a swiss army knife. However, Phil, not having a weapon, just walked over to Sophie's window, opened it and jumped out. He fell three stories before he hit the ground. After the three people whom Sophie had lied to, killed themselves, she began cleaning up. "Mom! Dad! Can I get your help in here?" Sophie called through the door. Her parents came in instantly, unsurprised by the sight they found. The trio began to dispose of the bodies quickly and efficiently; They've had a lot of practise doing the task. After they had cleaned up, Silvia spoke up to her daughter.

"What was all that about? Killing lord Satan?"

"Oh, I was bored, I just wanted to see the look on her face! Also, I didn't feel the need to explain our plans to some vulgar cult member who was going to die anyway."

"It's a shame we had to kill them." commented Charles. "You don't find people as committed as they were these days."

"Yes," replied Sophie, "but, it had to be done. They would have believed me to go against lord Satan, spreading rumors through the cult. I don't need or want to deal with that. Killing them was the simplest option to keep our true plan a secret."

"I know." Charles said. After a short and awkward silence. Sophie spoke up,

"Anyway, I'm off to see Rin and Dugo, see ya guys later." Sophie said with a small wave. She walked past her parents and exited the room into the hall. _'While it may be true that Rin might become more powerful than Satan, I would never go against Satan. I merely want whats best for Rin.'_ She made her way to the room where Rin and Dugo were, smiling all the way.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

Fujimoto and Yukio were running around frantically at the monastery. They had set up a makeshift command center trying to find the, believed to be, run away Rin. The four priests had broken up and started searching in four different directions from the monastery. Maruta went north, Izumi went south, Kyodo went west, and Nagatomo went east. Fujimoto and Yukio called them constantly and marked down areas that the four had checked on maps of the nearby areas. However, so far they hadn't even found even a trace of Rin or Dugo. Things weren't looking good, and Fujimoto's self appointed time limit of twelve hours had been cut down to a measly seven hours. The more and more they searched, the closer they got to believing Rin had simply vanished into thin air. Even though he had more time, Fujimoto was about to give up. Knowing Rin, he could be anywhere by now. Who knows? Maybe he had even held someone hostage and used a car to get away. However, before Fujimoto's imagination got the better of him, the phone rang. Eagerly, he ripped the phone off of its base, answering it.

"Hello? Did you find him?" asked Fujimoto, expecting it to be one of the four priests. However, the one who answered the phone was Rin.

"Dad? I… Need your… help." Rin said, through his panting. He sounded like he had just run like a bat out of hell.

"R-Rin?! Where are you?!"

"I-I'm… outside of…. Takinogawa Jr High.. School…. the one that…. was closed down…. two years ago…."

"I'm on my way." said Fujimoto, hanging up the phone. Yukio, who had heard Fujimoto's side of the conversation, asked,

"Where is he?"

"He's by that old abandoned high school, that's just outside of town. I have a key that will get me to a bus station nearby to that." Fujimoto said, picking up his shotgun.

"Then let's go," Yukio said, trying to stand up. However, Fujimoto just pushed the boy back down.

"No, you stay here. You're too injured to move, plus I need you to call the others and let them know where I'm going. I can't because I seem to have misplaced my cell phone." Angrily, Yukio nodded. It pissed him off that he couldn't help, but he knew his father was right. Quickly, Fujimoto used his key, and arrived at the bus stop. Fujimoto had nearly forgotten how late it was because he had been indoors for the better part of 5 hours. It was probably around 7pm right now and the sun was dangerously close to setting. As fast as he could, Fujimoto took off in a sprint in the direction of the school. He was determined to get his son back.

* * *

**[ Ten Minutes Earlier ]**

_[ In Assiah, The Abandoned Takinogawa Jr. High School ]_

Rin and Dugo were awakened from their long, enjoyable nap as Sophie obnoxiously barged into the room.

"WAKEY WAKEY!" She yelled in a shrill voice that was a least an octave above her original voice. _'Wow…. She so… different from last time… She seems much more psychotic…. was it all just an act before?'_ Sophie walked up to the two boys who were sitting with their backs up against the wall. She sat down directly in front of them, arms length away. She set down a deck of cards in between the three of them.

"What do you want Sophie?" asked Rin, still a little shaken from the sudden awakening.

"Oh, nothing. I was just hoping we could all play a game of cards is all! Rin, you're the only one here who's my age! And Dugo is the youngest out of everyone! Us three gotta stick together!" Her smile seemed sincere, but Rin still would never trust Sophie like he had before.

"What card game…?" asked Dugo, who was actually interested in her offer.

"It's called Crazy 8s!" She said, quickly launching into the explanation of the game. However, after she was done and had started dealing the cards, Rin asked,

"Hey, before we play can we have some shirts?" Sophie hadn't paid it much attention, but neither of the boys had their shirts on because they had been ripped off so they could be branded. She stared at them with a confused look and pointed to the corner of the room saying,

"You really are blind aren't you? We put a change of clothes for both of you over there." Sophie walked over to the clothes and tossed both the boys a plain black t-shirt with the Satanic Cross in the same place as the one's on their chests. Rin's cross was blue on the T-shirt and Dugo's was red, just like their chests.

"You had them made specifically for both of us?" Rin asked, noticing the colors. Sophie nodded her head, smiling. Quickly, the boys put on their shirts, so that they could get on with the game.

"Now, here's your hand. And here's yours." Sophie said pushing a small stack of cards to both Rin and Dugo. Dugo picked his up studying them quickly, deciding which one to use when it came to his turn, but Rin was a little more hesitant. His flames were still about him and he was slightly afraid that they would burn the cards if he were to touch them. _'Although, it's not burning my clothes, so why would it burn the cards?'_ Deciding it didn't really matter, Rin picked up the cards and was pleasantly surprised to see that they didn't burn.

"Okay, so I'll go first… Lets see…." Sophie said. However, while she was distracted, looking at her cards, Rin did something very unexpected. Time seemed to slow down as Sophie watched Rin launch himself at her. Rin came at the poor defenseless girl with all his might, swinging his sharp, claw like fingers at Sophie's throat. He left a deep enough gash in her throat to allow the blood to flow into her throat, effectively chocking her.

"Can't recite the mantra if you can't speak." said Rin, slyly. Rin threw down his cards and stood up. Taking Dugo by the hand, he made him rise too. Rin and Dugo started to walk away from Sophie, but Dugo stopped abruptly. "Dugo? Whats wrong? Now's our chance to leave!"

"You're just going to leave her like this? She's just going to heal! Why don't you kill her!" Dugo pleaded. Rin got down onto one knee and gripped Dugo's shoulders, his face becoming serious.

"Dugo, I'm not sure If you have it, or have experienced it before, but I have a bloodlust and trust me, it is taking everything in me NOT to kill Sophie right now." Rin said, as he eyed the blood coming from the girl's wound on her throat. He could hear her gasping for air through the blood.

"So why not kill her!" Dugo screamed, tears flowing from her face._ 'Wow… he must've really hated Sophie and her family.'_

"Because if I do I'm…. I'm afraid I won't be able to stop…" Rin said. '_I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I hurt Dugo...'_ "Anyway, lets just get going okay? We're not save yet." Rin took Dugo's hand and was about to place his hand on the doors handle, when Sophie's warning echoed in his head. She had told him it would hurt to open the door. _'Well screw that! This may be our only chance of escape; Sophie won't be stupid enough to let me do that to her again.'_ Disregarding the warning, Rin placed his hand on the doorknob and turned. IT. HAD. KILLED. Rin could feel the pain run straight through his hand and throughout his whole body. Screaming out, Rin could see and feel his eyes ears, and nose bleed, but he didn't let up. He successfully opened the door, but fell to the ground, exhausted from the pain.

"Nii-san!" Dugo said, crouching down next to Rin, who was having a hard time breathing.

"I'm… fine." He said, shakily getting back to his feet. "We.. have to keep…. moving…" Rin tails whipped back and forth in determination. Dugo nodded at Rin and the two slowly made their way down the hallways, looking for a way out, until they found a downward staircase. Following it, they made their way to what they believed to be the ground floor. Once there, Rin noticed that this ground floor looking very different than the floor he was on. This floor looked like a school. The two searched around and came upon classroom after classroom. Eventually, the two found the main office of the school and found a sigh with the school's name on it. Rin recognized it immediately. Takinogawa Jr. High School. It was an old school that was closed down around two years ago. Luckily for Rin and Dugo, the phone in the main office worked. 'I guess since they have been using the building, Sophie and her cult restored the power.' Dialing up the monastery's number, Rin awaited someone to pick up. It was only after two rings that his father picked up.

"Hello? Did you find him?" asked Fujimoto, through the phone.

"Dad? I… Need your… help." Rin said, through his panting. The pain from opening the door had taken a real toll on the boy and he'd need rest to recover.

"R-Rin?! Where are you?!"

"I-I'm… outside of…. Takinogawa Jr High.. School…. the one that…. was closed down…. two years ago…."

"I'm on my way." said Fujimoto, hanging up the phone.

"Why did you say we were outside?" asked Dugo.

"Because, that's… where we….. are going to…. wait…" Rin responded. Rin and Dugo made there way to the exit of the school, which was very close to the main office.

"Hey Rin? How come the others haven't come after us? Surely they are still here somewhere." Dugo asked, a little curious.

"They…. probably don't have….. enough fire power… to detain us… without Sophie… and the mantra…" Dugo nodded his head, just thankful that they indeed hadn't come after them. The boys found their way outside and Rin was thankful to find a bench in front of the school, which we sat down on with Dugo as they waited. It wasn't long before Fujimoto showed up, running like crazy. Rin was about to say his 'Hello's and his 'Thank You's when his father raised his shotgun and pointed it directly at Rin.

"Hey Rin. Where've ya been?" he asked, his voice serious.

"Put… the gun…. down old man…." Rin said, still panting from exhaustion.

"Wanna tell me why you ran away then?"

"We didn't run away!" said Dugo, in his little voice. "We were kidnapped by Sophie and her cult of Satanists!" Fujimoto looked at the two, not quite believing that Rin would be so easily captured, until Rin said,

"Yea… they kidnapped…. an exorcist…. who knew the…. mantra…. and then they got…. me while we were…. playing catch…."

"Okay…." said Fujimoto, "then you care to explain why you're flaming up right now? Put the flames out Rin."

"I…. can't…." he replied.

"Why can't yo-"

"We don't have time for this!" yelled Rin. This caused him to go into a small coughing fit and it was the first time that Fujimoto actually noticed the fact that his son looked injured. "We… have to…. get going…" Slowly, Fujimoto put away his gun and helped Rin up to his feet, the flames not burning or bothering him at all.

"You do realize you're going to be explaining everything that happened when we get home right? And I better like your story." Rin just grunted in response. Fujimoto led the two of them to the school's front door where he used his key. Stepping through the door and into the monastery, Rin collapsed onto the floor, all his remaining energy gone. He was safe now. He didn't have to worry about anything as he allowed himself to slip into unconsciousness.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Abandoned Takinogawa Jr. High School ]_

Charles and Silvia were in Sophie's office looking out the window, staring down at Rin and Dugo who were sitting on a bench, waiting.

"What should we do sweetie? Sophie can't stop them right now in her state. She can't even say two words." Silvia said to her husband.

"It doesn't matter. Let them leave. They've been marked. When the Dawning comes, they won't be able to resist it." Silvia just nodded, accepting his answer.

"We're going to have move again aren't we? They undoubtedly have told the exorcists our position." Silvia commented.

"Yes. We should begin immediately. You tend to Sophie's wounds, although, with her rate of healing, she should be fine within a day or two." Silvia nodded and walked left the room to go tend to her daughter. _'Rin Okumura, it's too late for you know. You are now and will forever be Marked._' Charles thought darkly.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

Yukio saw as the door to the kitchen opened as Rin came walking in. Yukio stared at his brother, whom he hadn't seen in roughly three weeks. He was searching for the words to say to him, but his brother just fell onto the floor, fainting. This caused Yukio to rush up and over to his brother, checking on him.

"He seems okay, just tired." said Fujimoto stepping into the room with a small child Yukio had never seen before walking behind him. The first thing Yukio noticed about the boy was his tail.

"What happened?" Yukio asked, as he grabbed Rin's arms and Fujimoto grabbed his legs, a silent understanding crossing between the two to take Rin to his room.

"I'm not sure." Fujimoto said. Then raising his voice a little so Dugo could hear. "I was hoping you could tell us, Dugo." The boy just followed behind the two into Rin's room, saying, in his small, shy voice,

"Okay…" After they had laid Rin down on his bunk, Fujimoto took a seat at the desk in the room while Yukio remained standing. Dugo sat down on Rin's bunk by his legs.

"So, Dugo, what happened?" Dugo talked in his small sad voice, small almost unnoticeable tears falling down his face.

"First Rin and I were in the courtyard and I ran off to get the balls and gloves… then when I came back, Rin was talking to Sophie, through the barrier."

"Sophie Flemmington?" Asked Fujimoto for confirmation.

"Yea… although nobody calls her that. She's Sophie, Daughter of Azazel." This new information took the two by surprise. Yukio had discovered that she had some form of persuasion ability while they were in the convenience store, but he had never thought her to be a daughter of a demon king. "Anyway… using her powers she seduces people into joining her cult of Satanists. Some join willingly, other don't and sometimes get killed. My mother was apart of it and when she died, Sophie's parents took me in. Sorry getting off topic… So Rin was talking to Sophie and then, suddenly, she started reciting his mantra. After that, people showed up and started taking Rin away. They told me I had to go to or they'd kill him. After that, they took us to that building, and they….." Dugo's voice trailed off. He didn't like even thinking about what had happened in that old abandoned school.

"Dugo, what did they do?" Dugo sniffled a little at Fujimoto's question, but he responded,

"They branded us… with the Satanic Cross." He said, pointing to his shirt where the cross was. Fujimoto's face was a mix of fear, shock, and confusion. He asked the small boy,

"May I see?" Nodding his head, Dugo removed his shirt and showed them the red, satanic cross that had been branded over his heart.

"They did the same to Nii-san." He said pointing to Rin's flaming, unconscious body. At this, Yukio, who had been silent, gasped. However, it wasn't the branding that caused him to gasp, it was the fact that this small boy had called Rin his Nii-san. _'That's what I call Rin...'_ Fujimoto, who ignored Yukio's gasp, went and lifted up Rin's shirt to see the same brand as Dugo's but in blue. "I saw them do it. It caused his flames to be released. Sophie said that the brand broke his bond with the Kurimatara." Dugo said, butchering the name of the sword terribly.

"The Kurikara Sword," Fujimoto corrected, "and yes, it would appear that to be so. Rin's going to have a lot harder time controlling his flames now." The three sat there in silence for a minute or so, until Dugo continued his story.

"Anyway, after that, they gave us these weird shirts with the crosses on them. Then Rin attacked Sophie, rendering her unable to speak. Without her use of the mantra Rin and I could do whatever." However, Yukio was confused on something.

"You said Rin and I could do whatever, the mantra doesn't affect you, so-" Yukio was asking his question when Dugo interrupted him mid-sentence.

"Yes it does." Dugo said, swinging his tail around in front of him, showing off Rin's old binding. "Charles had a tail binding that was once Rin's. They put it on me so I would 'behave', " he said, putting air quotes around 'behave'.

"Well… I see." said Fujimoto. "That makes much more sense then Rin running around. By the way how'd you get around the barrier?"

"A key." replied Dugo plainly. Nodding his head Fujimoto just left the room, finding the story true and wanting to leave Rin to rest. Yukio followed suit but didn't get out before he caught Dugo staring at Rin and whispering, "Nii-san." Yukio didn't want to admit it, but hearing a complete stranger call his brother Nii-san stung. _'I guess this means that if I care this much about a stupid notion like that, then I still care for Rin.'But for the life of me I can't seem to completely forgive him…'_

* * *

**AN: HOLA! AGAIN! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Maybe it was a little too soon for them to break out, but it seemed necessary for what I have planned next! :D **

**Anyway! Hope you liked it!**


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: HEY ALL! This chapter was focused around my fluff writing skills! Still workin on em. Don't worry it's not a full on pointless chapter. Something Juicy happens towards the end. Plus there's an interesting part in the middle that foreshadows something bigger later on. I hope you enjoy! Oh and PS: mummyokumura... I be stealin your liiiiines again. Sorry :P It just fit so well!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ao no Exorcist**

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

Rin awoke with a sleeping Dugo laying by his feet, his tail curled around Rin's leg. Looking out the window, Rin could see that it was still dark and that he should probably just go back to bed, but he wasn't all that tired and was hungry. So, gently, he pried Dugo's tail off his leg so as to not awake the sleeping boy. Afterwards, he made his way out of the room and down the hall, heading towards the kitchen. When he entered he was surprised to find Yukio and Fujimoto sitting there, talking. _'How had I not heard them? Must be too sleepy...'_

"Nii-san…." Yukio said, a little shocked his brother was awake. Rin awkwardly smiled and waved at his younger brother, not quite sure what to say to him. _'Last time I saw Yukio, I shoved my hand straight into his guts… I wonder what he thinks of me...'_ Lazily, and without a word, Rin made his way to the fridge, his tail dragging a little on the floor behind him from tiredness. Yukio just stared at his older brother, a mixture of fear and love in his eyes. His heart told him to forgive his brother, while his mind told him to kill him. In the end though, he listened to his heart. Putting on a smile, Yukio asked,

"Nii-san? Are you feeling better? Dugo told us everything that happened." With lunch meat and lettuce from the fridge, Rin started making a sandwich, responding,

"A little. I have a terrible headache, but other than that, I feel fine."

"Thanks good." Yukio said.

"Rin?" Fujimoto said, speaking up. "I checked the Kurikara sword and… I don't think we can fix it. It has shattered into roughly seventy pieces. We'd need a boat load of blessed steel to fix it, which nobody can get anymore."

"Wh-What? The sword actually shattered!? Sophie said it would… but I just didn't believe her…" Rin said, briefly looking over his shoulder at his father and brother. However, he returned to making his sandwich, asking a question as he did so.

"Well, can't we just find a new weapon or talisman to seal my powers in?"

"It's not that simple Rin. We were able to do it to you as a child because your powers were under-developed and easily contained. Now, they're at least twenty times more powerful than they were then."

"I see…" Finishing making his sandwich, Rin joined his family members at the table and started eating. "So… uh…. Yukio… how are your… injuries…. doing?" Rin asked, refusing to make eye contact with his brother. Rin felt extremely guilty about the whole thing and Yukio could see it written all over his brother's face. This brought a slight smile to Yukio's face, seeing that his brother cared for him.

"Doing good. I pulled a few of my stitches this morning, but have since patched them back up. The doctor said I should be completely healed in a week or two." Finally looking up from his food, Rin made eye contact with his brother, a sad kind of smile coming to his face.

"That's good…." An awkward silence descended upon the room. Nobody knew what to say to fill the silence, so they all just remained there quietly. The silence barely lasted three minutes before a sleepy Dugo stumbled into the room. In his small little voice, Dugo said,

"Nii-san? Where did you go….?" Dugo said, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"Did we wake you? Sorry." Said Rin, patting his legs to let Dugo he could climb up on his lap. Climbing up onto Rin's lap, Dugo looked at Yukio to see his eyebrows furrowed in slight irritation.

"Why are you mad?" asked Dugo, innocently. Rin looking up at Yukio, didn't catch his look of irritation before Yukio let a smile come to his face.

"I'm not mad. Why would you think that?" Yukio asked.

"You seem like an angry person." said Dugo with a shrug. Ruffling Dugo's hair, Rin said,

"Don't you think that was a little mean, Dugo? You only just met him, you can't go making assumptions about people like that."

"Sorry, Nii-san." Dugo replied, however he stared daggers at Yukio with his red eyes. Nevertheless, Fujimoto laughed.

"What's so funny old man?" Rin asked.

"Well I just realized that Dugo calls you Nii-san when, technically, you're his uncle!" Rin just stared at Fujimoto about to say the idea was ludicrous, but when he thought about it, it was true. Because he was Satan's son, he was a half-brother to Iblis, Dugo's father. So in all actuality, Dugo was Rin's and Yukio's nephew. **(1)**

"I guess you're right." said Rin, still trying to wrap his head around the prospect. However, Yukio found the thought of being related to Dugo, even slightly, made him sick. He really didn't like the little child.

"Nii-san?" Dugo asked, "...will Sophie come back…?" His voice was smaller and shyer than usual, and Rin could tell the small boy might start to cry. Wrapping his tail around the boy, Rin tried to comfort him.

"No… No she's not. Yukio and my dad here won't let her. I believe in them." However, without any sincerity or compassion in his voice, Dugo replied,

"They didn't stop her before, how can they this time?" Rin used his tail to turn Dugo around his his lap, so that he could look him in the eye.

"Hey, don't be so pessimistic. I promise you, she can't get in here." Rin stared into the little boys eyes, trying to reassure him.

"Okay…. sorry Nii-san…" Dugo replied, deciding to believe in Rin. Rin smiled down at him and he noticed Dugo waving his tail a little. The tail's movement per se isn't what caught his eye though. He saw Dugo's binding, and that reminder Rin of something he wanted to ask Fujimoto.

"Hey, old man. I want to ask a favor. I'm not sure if Dugo told you or not, but Charles, Sophie's dad, had been able to remove my old tail binding back when I was…. in a less favorable state. Anyway, he kept it and put it on Dugo. I was wondering if you could remove it from him. He doesn't really need it, he's not at all dangerous; He knows how to control his flames." Fujimoto looked at his son, thoughtfully. In the end, Fujimoto decided that he would do as Rin asked. He called Dugo over to him.

"Dugo, come here a minute." Hopping off of Rin's lap, Dugo walked over to Fujimoto, who held Dugo's tail lightly in his hands. Quickly Fujimoto recited some sort of hymn, but nothing happened. Fujimoto eyed the binding carefully and tried reciting another hymn or two, but again nothing happened.

"How strange…. I guess they changed the phrase." Fujimoto muttered to himself.

"Something wrong?" asked Rin.

"Yea. They seemed to have modified it. It used to come off when one spoke the release phrase, but they seemed to have changed what that phrase is."

"But, when Charles got it off me, he had just tinkered at it with some of his tools until he could pry it open."

"Well we very well can't do that know." Fujimoto said. He pointed to a strange symbol on the binding that Rin didn't know the meaning of. To him, It looked like all the other symbols that were written on the binding. "This symbol here it a sort of tripwire. If you try to take off the binding without the use of the proper release phrase, the effects of the binding will take place."

"What?! Thats terrible…. Hey wait, how come it wasn't on there originally? Why didn't you put that symbol on it when I had to wear it?"

"Because I'm not that cruel." replied Fujimoto simply. Yawning and stretching, Fujimoto continued, "Anyway, I've had one heck of day and am tired as shit. I'm going to bed." Quickly, Fujimoto walked off to his bedroom.

"I'm tired too," said Yukio. Rin could see the tiredness in Yukio's eyes. "I'm heading off to bed. Night Rin."

"Night." Responded Rin, watching as Yukio left. "So I guess it's just you and me, eh Dugo? What do you want to do?" Dugo climbed up into the chair next to Rin, the one that was previously occupied by Fujimoto.

"I'm still tired…." said Dugo.

"Okay, then let's go to bed." Taking his hand, Rin lead Dugo back to their and Yukio's room. Like usual, they shared Rin's bunk. Dugo was asleep within a few minutes, his body curled up next to Rin's. However, Rin on the other hand, laid in bed, awake, for a few hours until sleep finally claimed him.

* * *

_[ Rin's Subconscious ]_

His world seemed to spin. He couldn't see straight or make out any discernible shapes. All Rin could make out was the fire. Some was his, it burned brightly, illuminating the monastery with its bright blue brilliance. However, not all of it was blue. Rin could also make out red flames swirling and intertwining with his blue ones, creating a strange, yet beautiful, display of chaos and destruction. As his head stopped spinning, Rin was able to make out Dugo, who had seemingly no control over his powers. Both half-demons had no control of what was happening.

"Nii-san!" Rin heard Dugo shout. "What's happening?!"

"I'm not sure!" Rin called back, over the crackling of the fire. Slowly, Rin made his way, cautiously, through the big inferno. Slowly, but surely he made his way to Dugo's side, crouching down next to him. Rin noticed that demon features like his own had manifested onto Dugo. Somehow, someway, Dugo was able to suppress his flames and demon appease, such as his fangs and long ears, however right now, Dugo didn't seem to be able to control them anymore then Rin could.

"What… happened?" Dugo asked, staring around him as both the blue and the red flames burned through everything. The foundation of the building was starting to come apart. If they didn't get out soon, they might get squashed by the collapsing building.

"I don't know…. This is more power than I've ever felt before… And without Kurikara… none of it's contained. I can't even stop it from burning everything…" Rin replied, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Rin. Do you feel that?" Rin felt SOMETHING but he wasn't sure what it was or if it was the 'that' that Dugo was talking about.

"Feel what Dugo?"

"I don't know…my chest hurts..." Rin's eyes lit up. Now that Dugo had pointed out, Rin felt HIS chest hurting a little. Pulling up his shirt, Rin quickly found his Satanic cross glowing bright. Dugo, seeing Rin's, did the same and discovered his too was glowing. Suddenly, and without warning, the ceiling collapsed all around them, miraculously leaving the small area they were in untouched by debris. Looking up to the sky, Rin and Dugo both instantly knew SOMETHING was wrong. The sky was a strange orange color and the sun was pitch black. However, around the black sun, a thin veil of light could be seen. **(2)** It looked erie and reminded Rin of the sun in Gehenna.

"R-Rin…? What's wrong with the sky?" Dugo asked.

"I don't know…" The two stared up at the black sun when they heard a deep ominous voice speak. It sent chills down Rin's back.

_**"Welcome to the Dawning."**_

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

Rin awoke in a cold sweat. He wouldn't call the dream a nightmare, but it certainly made him feel uneasy. Looking to his left he saw Dugo, still curled against him. Seeing the little demon kid not flaming up like him made him feel better. It also made him feel better that he wasn't in fact burning the monastery to the ground, but sadly, his flames where still flaming up around him. Sighing, he looked across the room at the wall clock. Seeing that it was 7:30, Rin decided to get up and make everyone breakfast. He sat up, but felt Dugo's tail tug at his arm. Rin stared at his arm in awe as he noticed what Dugo had done. Dugo's tail was wrapped around Rin's arm and was actually constricting it a little. It brought a smile to his face, knowing that Dugo though so highly of him, even if his tail did it subconsciously. Fearing he would wake the child, Rin just laid back down, and planned to wait until woke up naturally. _'Wait a minute… It's 7:30…. How the heck did I wake up without an alarm?'_ Rin wondered idly. Rin allowed himself to become submersed in thoughts about the strange dream, wondering what 'The Dawning' was. Eventually, Dugo started to stir, and Rin shrugged off the dream._ 'It's just a dream after all.'_

"Nii-san?" Dugo said, yawning as he did so.

"Yea, Outoto?" Rin responded.

"What time is it?"

"It's like 7:45. I was about to go make breakfast, do you want some?" Dugo shook his head eagerly. Dugo, noticing he had his tail around Rin's arm, uncoiled it, blushing a little. Apparently, he knew what it meant as well, but Rin didn't say anything about it. Hopping out of bed and getting into a quick change of clothes, the two boys made their way to the kitchen. What neither of them noticed was Yukio. He was silently cursing Dugo. _'Nii-san never called me Outoto...That stupid Dugo!'_ Yukio banged his hand against the wall in a small rage. It wasn't fair. Rin was HIS brother, not this strange demon's brother. Yukio hated to admit it to himself, but he was jealous of the bond they had. They had known each other for what, a four or five days? Meanwhile, Yukio lived with Rin his whole live. **_'but I did lie to Nii-san. I hid everything from him and now he probably hates me…'_** _'I should have told him sooner… Everything went to hell when Rin did.'_

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Rin was offering Dugo everything that the monastery had in terms of breakfast food.

"Okay, so I can make pancakes, waffles, toast, french toast, or cereal." Dugo opened his mouth to ask his obvious question and Rin answered before he even spoke. "And I have some barbeque sauce that you can put on whatever you want to eat to make it nice and spicy. Although, I doubt it will taste good on cereal." Dugo smiled at Rin, happy that he knew him so well.

"Uhh…. can I have some pancakes? I haven't had some in a while." Rin stared at the child dumbfounded.

"We had them, literally, two days ago." Dugo put his hands behind his back and looked down at his feet.

"But… I like pancakes…" Rin smiled at the boy, chuckling a little, and turned back to the cooking ingredients on the counter.

"Alright, pancakes it is."

"Yes!" said Dugo, feeling victorious. Taking a seat at the kitchen table, Dugo started a conversation with Rin as he prepared the food.

"So, Nii-san, how did you sleep last night?" The question felt a little out of place to Rin, because Dugo wasn't one to ask about things like that. Memories of his creepy dream came back and made him tense up a little. However, Rin didn't respond, so Dugo continued. "Did you see it too? Please say you did." This made Rin stop his cooking in shock. _'Did Dugo and I have the same dream? Is that even possible?'_

"Are you talking about 'The Dawning'?" Rin asked, using the phrase the creepy voice had used. Dugo nodded his head, relieved Rin had seen it too, but at the same time worried.

"What does it all mean? It was really scary…"

"I don't know Dugo. It was all very strange. I'm not even sure if we should worry about it. It was just a dream, ya know."

"Yea... but we both had it. That's gotta mean something, Right?" Rin nodded, murmuring a yea. An uncomfortable silence came over the kitchen and Rin realised Dugo must've been really freaked out by it. Not to mention it was just yesterday that the two had been kidnapped and branded with a strange Satanic symbol. It seemed like a natural reaction. As he mixed the batter for the pancakes, Rin called over his shoulder to Dugo.

"If it'll make you feel better, after breakfast I can have Yukio or Maruta or someone run to the library and pick up some books on demonology and anything that may mention this 'Dawning' thingy. Maybe we can find something out about it."

"Yea, I'd like that!" said Dugo, a little louder than he should have. A few minutes later a tired looking Yukio came marching into the room, his pajamas all wrinkled from sleep.

"Oh, yea Yukio. I'm making pancakes, want some?" Yukio grumbled something that sounded remotely like a 'yes' to Rin, so Rin added a few eggs to the batter and some more flour. The two didn't know it, but Yukio had been up since they had, he was just putting on the act so they didn't think he overheard them. Yukio grabbed a mug from the nearby cabinet and filled it with hot water from the sink. Before he sat down, he also grabbed a tea bag from another cabinet. Afterwards he started dipping the bag into the water to make himself his morning cup of tea.

"That's not nearly enough heat to make tea in!" Dugo exclaimed. Snapping his fingers, he lit his hand on fire. "Would you like me to heat it up for you?" He asked. At any other time of day, Yukio would have jumped in surprise by the sudden flames, but it was too early in the morning for him to even react to anything.

"Sure, why not?" said Yukio, as he sat down. He slid the cup across the table at Dugo, who waved his hand over the water, moving it back and forth. Soon, small little bubbles started to form in the water and steam rose from it's surface.

"Here ya go. That should be good enough." Dugo said, pushing the cup back across the table. Yukio continued to dip his teabag into the water and soon, the water became a light brownish color. Taking a sip from the cup, Yukio's eyes lit up in surprise. It was the PERFECT temperature for tea.

"Wow. This is the best cup of tea I've had in a while. Thanks Dugo." Yukio immediately regretted the words as they came out of his mouth. _'The hell am I doing? I'm getting all buddy buddy with the demon that wants to take Nii-san away from me.'_

"No problem!" Dugo said with a smile, ignorant to Yukio's true feelings.

"Hey guys! Pancakes are done!" Rin announced. Rin got out three plates and gave everyone three pancakes. Rin and Yukio's were coated in a nice layer of syrup while Dugo's was covered in barbecue sauce. After he served them, Rin and Dugo immediately got to eating. Yukio on the other hand stared at the food.**_ 'I think I want to be alone for now… '_**_ 'I'll just eat outside or something...'_ Picking up his plate, Yukio started to leave. However, Rin called after him,

"Hey, Yukio. Where ya going?"

"Just outside…" he replied. Yukio walked away from the two slamming the door behind him.

"What's up with him?" Dugo asked.

"I don't know, he seems different since the last time I saw him. He might still be mad at me for what I did…" Dugo stared at Rin for a moment, but didn't know how to comfort him, so he just kept eating.

Meanwhile, while the two demons continued their breakfast in silence in the kitchen, Yukio made his way outside and ate out on the porch. _'That Dugo… pisses me off how close he and Nii-san are.'_ **_'Maybe I should just leave… Rin doesn't seem to want me around, now that Dugo's here...'_** _'Maybe I should….'_ As Yukio ate his pancakes, he looked up at the sky admiring the beginning of the sunrise. He also watched as some pigeons wearing flying across the sky, displaying a truly beautiful scene. However, his little moment was soon ruined when a man came running onto the monastery grounds, pushing the gate open.

"Please! Help me! My wife, she's been badly hurt! I need help getting her somewhere safe." Instinctively, Yukio dropped his food and got up, rushing over and past the man.

"Where is she?" he asked his voice seriously and lacking all of his mock tiredness from the kitchen. The man took off in a run, saying,

"This way! Quickly!" The man took off down the sidewalk, Yukio following right behind him.

"What happened? How'd she get hurt?"

"We were mugged. They let us go, but only after giving her a thrashing!" Yukio nodded, quickening his pace. He felt a slight unpleasant feeling in his stomach, but ignored it for now. What mattered was getting this poor man's wife some medical attention. Soon the man had led him to an alleyway, however, it was empty.

"Where is she?" Yukio asked, searching for a woman who clearly wasn't there.

"I'm over here! Yuki-chan!" called a mocking voice. Yukio turned around to see Sophie staring at him with two people on both sides of her, pointing guns at him. He raised his hands in surrender, seeing himself to be heavily outgunned. _'And to think, I might have pulled a stitch or two coming to save this guy's "wife", how stupid...'_

"Yuki-chan! You don't seem at all happy to see me! Oh wait, do you still want me to call you ? I heard Shiemi call you Yuki before, and I have to say, I kinda liked the name!"

"What do you want," spat Yukio.

"WOW! Here I am, trying to be all nice and call you by your nickname, and all you do is yell at me. How rude. Did nobody teach you how to talk to a lady?" She snickered. "As per your question. I need you so that Rin will behave. It helps that I know his mantra, but I let my guard down and he slit my throat, rendering me unable to recite it. This time, I'll have you as a back up plan! It'll be perfect! Now, **Grab him."** Sophie commanded to her subordinates. As some of the men grabbed ahold of Yukio, Sophie pulled out a key, inserting it into a door on the side of one of the building in the alleyway.

"You exorcists. So easy to trick and deceive. Especially when I use humans as bait." She mused, finding the idea that someone would help a human, silly. She led the group through the door and out of a port-a-potty door. Yukio was surprised to see the sight. He was taken to a giant ass carnival. "WELCOME ONE AND ALL!" Sophie exclaimed loudly. "TO HELL'S CARNIVAL! Let's all make sure to have some fun, Okay?!"

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

After breakfast, Rin cleaned up their dishes and put away the remaining, unused ingredients.

"Wow, are the others REALLY not up yet?" Rin asked, talking mostly to himself. However, Dugo actually answered him.

"No, there up. Just not home. Look at this." Dugo said, pointing to something he was reading on the fridge.

_Rin and Yukio, me and the other priests were called in for an emergency exorcism. You two and Dugo should all be fine, I left Kuro there to watch over the place, although he may still be asleep. Anyway, we should be home before dinner_

_-Shiro_

"Well, I guess that explains it." Rin said, tearing the paper off the fridge and throwing it away. "I wonder, if Yukio's done with his food. Let's go check on him, Dugo." The two of them walked outside to find Yukio's food spread all across the ground. Rin could also make out some foot prints, leaving through the gate.

"Wasn't he wearing his pajamas?" Dugo asked. Putting together the fact that Yukio left.

"Yea… Where could he have gone that was so important that he had to wear his pajamas?" Dugo just shrugged at Rin's question and together the two started to clean up Yukio's mess. The two didn't notice it, but a few feet outside the gate, far enough so as to not look suspicious, a man was watching them. Not only that, but he was also talking on his phone.

"They don't suspect a thing. Continue with the operation." The man said through his phone.

"Thanks Mason!" replied the obnoxious girl's voice. "Keep an eye on 'em for a bit. I don't want Rin to know I have his brother just yet. I want it to be a surprise!" Grunting, the man hung with Sophie.

"She doesn't pay me enough to do this shit…" said Mason talking to himself.

* * *

**AN: (1) Thanks to those of you who brought this to my attention LOL When I first made the OC it never even crossed my mind that they would be related at all. Also I guess Rin is also SOPHIE'S uncle. How creepy! Oh and a few people seemed to think that because Dugo called Rin his Nii-san that they were actually brothers. They aren't, Dugo just calls him that.**

**(2) Anyone know what it is? I'll give you a hint. The sun isn't the black thing in the sky. The sun is behind it.**

**I FEEL SO EVIL :D Sophie took Yukio! And how long will it take for them to realize he was taken and didn't just run off? Probs lika full chapter! :D**


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: I feel bad for two reasons. 1) This chapter was a little rushed in my opinion, even though it's normal sized. Maybe it's not rushed, but it just feels that way to me. and 2) The end is VERY short AND confusing. Don't worry! It's supposed to be! My next chapter will be a flash back that will clear everything up that you may be confused about! Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_[ ?, Hell's Carnival ]_

Yukio was held by his arms by two of Sophie's brutes. One hold his left and one holding his right. Together, they were easily able to drag Yukio with them as they entered the front of the Carnival. Looking up at the sky, it was very dark out. 'Is this place even in Japan? It's sunrise over there, but here it seems more like 4am.'

"What is this place?" Yukio asked. Looking around he could see some of the main things one would find at a carnival. There were game booths, a house of mirrors, concession stands, and there was even a ball pit for little kids. Yukio was shocked by how much it resembled Mepphy Land, except, Hell's Carnival, as Sophie put it, seemed much darker and scarier.

"This," said Sophie, spreading her arms wide, gesturing to everything around her. "Is Hell's Carnival! It was a normal carnival owned by a small group of Satanists in the 1800's. By luring tourists away in there attractions like the hall of mirrors, or even the ball pits, they would conduct human sacrifices on them. They did this without getting caught for roughly 20 years without being caught."

"What?! 20 years? And nobody caught on?"

"Well it was the 1800's! It was harder to conduct investigations and to get proper evidence back then. Plus most of the people they took were teens, so it could easily be chalked up to run-aways." Sophie continued to lead her small group of people and Yukio through the empty carnival, heading in the direction of what Yukio believed to be the biggest tent at the entire carnival.

"Anyway!" Sophie said, continuing her explanation. "The Satanists were eventually found out and arrested by Exorcists. However, before they were taken to prison, the Satanists were able to conceal their rituals sights. Without knowing exactly where they were, the Exorcists could disassemble them properly, so they just shut down the park and said, 'Problem Solved!' Except, that wasn't the case at all. I was easily able to sense them! And what I found… changed EVERYTHING." Sophie continued to merely weave through the vacant stalls and various attractions of the carnival. The silence that was left when Sophie had stopped speaking, left an unnerving feeling in Yukio. Searching around he could have sworn that he saw things moving around them. Catching Yukio's worried look, Sophie took the opportunity to torment the boy.

"What? Scared of a few ghosts?"

"Those were ghosts?" Yukio asked, looking back to his left, seeing if he could see any movement.

"That was one of the reasons for the sacrifices! They would kill the teens then allow the ghosts to take hold of their bodys. Seeing all of them, I can't help but feel somewhat in charge of them." Sophie snicked. Yukio looked into Sophie's eyes, remembering that Dugo had told him that she was the daughter of Azazel, Demon King of Spirits.

"So, now what?" asked Yukio, realizing that Sophie and the group had come to a stand still.

"You run." Sophie said. Snapping her fingers, the entire group vanished into thin air, including Sophie herself, leaving Yukio all alone in the carnival. Yukio was confused by both what had happened and by what she meant by run, but soon found out the meaning. The group had stopped literally 30 feet from the big tent, which Yukio guessed to be the center of the carnival. Out of the tent, tens upon hundreds of ghosts came swarming out. Yukio didn't even have time to count before he turned and took off in the other direction. As he ran he whipped out his guns- or would have if he had been wearing all of his equipment and not just his pajamas.

"Dammit!" Yukio muttered under his breath as he ran. Although physical bullets aren't the best for a spiritual demon like a ghost, if he could catch a few off guard, he'd be able to hit them. As Yukio ran, he noticed that some of the buildings were changing and becoming distorted. He watched as an entire stall turned to a liquid right before his eyes. '_What is this place? Is this all just an illusion?'_ Keeping up his pace, Yukio took a quick left, trying the throw the ghosts off, but to no avail they continued to chase him down. Yukio turned around real quick to check on his assailants, but as he did so he ran smack dab into one of the many stalls in the place. _'What the hell?'_ Yukio thought as he rubbed his head from the impact. _'That was NOT there a second ago.'_ Scrambling to his feet, Yukio was about to start running again, but one of the ghosts had caught up to him. Grabbing ahold of Yukio, it pulled Yukio into a death grip, squeezing him tightly. He thrashed against the ghost's grasp, but was unable to get free. And even if he were, he wouldn't be able to escape. Roughly twenty other ghosts had already arrived.

"Let me go!" Yukio yelled at the ghosts near him. One walked in front of him and it looked exactly like his brother. On top of his brother's shoulders was Dugo, patting away at Rin's head like it was a drum.

"Why would we do that Yukio? Were going to have so much fun! Hell's Carnival awaits!" Rin said, jumping in joy. Rin went up to Yukio patting his brother on the shoulder. "So, wanna begin?" Without waiting for a response, Rin shoved his hand straight into Yukio's stomach, causing his brother to scream out from the pain. Watching him twist in pain earned Yukio a laugh from Dugo. All Yukio could hear as he passed out from the pain was the small boy's laugh and it made him furious.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

After cleaning up the mess Yukio had left, Rin and Dugo decided to call up Shiemi and see if she was up to anything. However, both of them seemed to forget that Shimei had 'A little thing called School' and had to 'study her heart out' , as her mother put it, if she wanted to do well. Also, without anyone being home, they couldn't research anything on the 'Dawning' because Fujimoto didn't keep a computer in the monastery, claiming it wasn't unimportant, like a cell phone.

"Sorry we can't look up anything on the 'Dawning', Dugo. It's just nobody can run to the library for us." said Rin, sighing.

"It's okay… maybe he can do it later?" Dugo asked, tilting his head up at Rin.

"Sure. Hopefully Yukio won't be gone too long." The two were currently sitting in the 'living room' as Fujimoto put it. It was basicly a little room with some comfy chairs and a small bookcase. It was really more of a reading room than a 'living room'. Rin was about to suggest that they go outside or something, but the two heard a large crash coming from somewhere else in the monastery.

"What was that?" asked Dugo, jumping at the sound.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Standing up, Rin quickly made his way out of the room and into the hallway looking for the source of the crash. Dugo silently followed behind him. Rin had first believed it to be Kuro knocking something over, but when he found Kuro asleep, he began to panic a little. Rin quickened his pace a little searched for the source of the sound. Eventually, he came across it. Somebody had thrown a rock one of the front facing windows.

"Hey, Dugo! Can you go get the dust pan and broom? I need to sweep up this broken glass."

"Mhmm!" Dugo said, nodding. As he rushed off to get the broom, Rin began to pick up the glass, trying to get it into a pile. As he did so, however, he noticed that the rock wasn't the only thing that had come crashing into the window. There, landing perfectly on top of the windowsill, was a paper airplane. On one of the exposed wings it said, in big bold letter, "OPEN". Curiously, Rin unfolded the paper airplane to discover a letter had been written on it. it was addressed to him and Dugo. Before he even read the letter, Rin knew something was wrong. Very little people knew that Dugo was staying there at the church, and the first person to come to mind, was Sophie. However, he didn't get to read the letter, before he heard Dugo coming down the hall with the broom and dust pan, so Rin crumpled up the letter real quick and shoved it into his pocket, hiding it from Dugo. _'This letter would probably only freak him out even more. I'd rather avoid him seeing it if I can.'_ Dugo arrived at Rin with the dust pan and broom, like Rin had asked.

"Thanks Dugo!" Rin said, ruffling the small kid's hair. Taking the broom from him, Rin quickly swept up the broken glass into the pan.

"So, who threw the rock?" Dugo asked, noticing the rock still on the floor.

"I'm not sure, but my dad will sort it out. Until then, were just going to have a broken window, I guess." Rin walked careful, so as to not let the glass fall out of the dust pan, as he made his way into the kitchen to empty the pan into the trash can.

"What should we do know?" asked Dugo, looking up to Rin for a suggestion.

"I don't know." said Rin, shrugging. _'I don't think I'll be able to read the letter until Dugo goes to bed, otherwise he'll see it. Guess, I'll just have to wait 'till then.'_

* * *

_[ ?. Hell's Carnival ]_

Waking up, Yukio found that he was inside the giant tent. It was at least 50 feet tall and was filled with stadium seats. _'Looks more like a circus than a carnival to me...'_ Yukio thought as he looked around more. He had been laid down in some of the seats and was looking towards the ring in the center of the tent. There he could see many people bustling around doing various things. What stood out the most to him was a giant slab of stone that had was in the center of the ring. It was at least 20 feet by 20 feet across and was like a small stage. However, soon the memories of the strange illusion came back and he realized his stomach hurt as if Rin had actually shoved his hand into his stomach a second time.

"Isn't it beautiful? It's the Sun Stone! It was carved by a very famous Satanist all the way back in 1489!" The voice behind Yukio sound like it was right next to his ear, and in fact it was. Jumping a little, Yukio scrambled away from Sophie.

"What the hell was that?!" Yukio yelled at Sophie.

"Sorry? Was I too close?"

"NO! Not that! The whole, leaving me thing! What was it? It was just an illusion right?"

"An illusion? Not at all! The Satanists that created this place designed a special seal at the entrance. Anyone who enters slips into a state of paranoia and exprecince extremely real nightmares. Those of the faint hearted sometimes die from it, having heart attacks. It only works once, and doesn't seem to have an effect on demons or half-demons. It was one of the many techniques used to lure away unsuspecting sacrifice. I bet, if the other Satanists had let go of you, you would have walked straight to one of the old sacrificing spots, without even have realising it. So, technically, it wasn't an illusion, more like a nightmare." Yukio sighed in relief, but tensed back up when Sophie said,

"Well, maybe. How should I know?"

"You suck..." Yukio muttered, falling silent.

"What?! You really are rude! You're not even going to ask about the Sun Stone? Aren't you at least a LITTLE curious?" However, Yukio refused to talk to his captor. This irked Sophie to no end. "Talk to me, Yukio." Yukio opened his mouth for a second, about to speak, but closed his mouth in defiance.

"WOW! Stop that! That's not fair at all! Just do as I say!" However, Yukio wasn't even phased by Sophie's mesmer. "Fine, be that way. That resilience won't last long. I'll crack you sooner or later. Anyway! As I was saying the Sun Stone was made by a famous Satanists in 1489. It was hidden for roughly 500 years, until it was found in 1979, by my father." Yukio took in the information, but couldn't help but to think to himself, _'Wow… she sure loves to hear herself talk.'_ Sophie kicked Yukio hard in the head out of frustration, responding aloud,

"Asshole. You should really learn your place! Castor! Get over here!" Sophie yelled out into the air. _'What the hell? I didn't even say anything… It's not like she can hear my thoughts...'_ Soon, a man had materialized by Sophie. Yukio figured him to be a ghost.

"Yes, Miss Sophie?" The guy asked bowing a little. Yukio could make out that the man was no more than 24 and wore what looked to be clothing from the 19th century. Although, that made sense, considering when Sophie said this place was opened.

"Take this ass down to the Sun Stone. Since he didn't want to hear me tell him what it did, let him find out himself." Nodding, the ghost pick up Yukio easily. As normal Yukio tried to break free, but a swift punch from the stomach made him give up. For most people, that punch would have hurt, but for Yukio it KILLED. His injuries weren't completely healed yet, so a punch like that didn't help him at all. falling limp in the ghosts arms, Yukio was taken down from the stands and into the tent's ring. The ghost, Castor, placed Yukio on the center of the Sun Stone and stepped off. He waved to Sophie and yelled,

"We're all set over here, Miss Sophie! It's all your's!"

"Thanks Castor!" From the stands, Sophie yelled to Yukio. "In case you're wondering, this is where you'll be staying until I feel that you are aloud to come out!" However, Yukio was unable to respond. He was too busy coughing on some blood that had made it's way up his throat. Yukio listened carefully as Sophie recited a hymn or a verse, which one Yukio couldn't tell." When she was done, beams of light came bursting out of the stone, up into the air. Yukio still didn't understand what was going on, until he realized that he couldn't move at all. His entire body went still. The only things working were his brain, heart, and lungs. Everything else seemed to have shut down completely._ 'The hell is this?'__** 'This is your new home! Welcome!'**__ 'Who is that?' __**'Okay I'm seriously about to kill you… IT'S ME! HELLO?! SOPHIE?! You should really work on your manners with people.'**__ 'S-Sophie? You can read minds?' __**'WOW! When did you figure that out?'**__ '... What do you want with Rin?'__** 'Isn't that a little sudden! And too think, you STILL haven't asked about the Sun Stone.' **_Mentally sighing in his head, Yukio asked Sophie,

_'What is the Sun Stone?' __**'YEA! Well it was carved by Leonardo Da Vinci as was-'**__ 'WOWOWOWOWOW Wait. Leonardo Da Vinci? But he was a catholic!' __**'That's what he wanted you to think! Anyway, he carved it and kept it hidden at a castle in Ireland. We don't know his connection to said castle, but that's where my dad found it 20 years ago. Anyway, because you don't seem to like it when I talk, I'll keep this short. It was carved with another stone called the Moon Stone. Da Vinci, being centuries ahead of his time, had devised a way to set forth a solar eclipse simply by overlapping these two stones. Although, that's there conjoined power. They both have there own separate powers. For example, the Sun Stone can imprison anyone or anything, not allowing it to move. The Moon Stone can... well thats not important. What's important is bring both stone together. That's where your brother comes in! We need him to retrieve the Moon Stone and YOU'RE going to be his motivation.'**__ 'I see… So I'm just leverage, to get my brother to do what you want?' __**'YEP! And then when all comes to pass, Rin will be back with me and I'll have him kill you.'**__ 'Rin would never do that!' __**'Really? Then how come he almost slaughtered all of you? Trust me, once the Dawning comes, he won't be able to help himself.'**__ 'The Dawning?' __**'Ooops! Said too much! Goodbye for now Yukio!'**__ 'Wait! Come back!' _Yukio pleaded, but Sophie seemed to stop talking to him. Yukio just sat there, his body frozen, lost in his thoughts.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

Rin and Dugo had spent the day doing various things like playing different games, reading a few children's books, and having Rin practise use hims flames. However, as the day started to wane, dinner time fast approached an NOBODY had returned. It bothered Rin slightly, because Fujimoto said that he and the others would return by dinner time and on top of that, Rin hadn't heard a word from Yukio since he disappeared that morning. However, he and Dugo were hungry, so he decided to get on with dinner without them. Rin and Dugo ate the small meal Rin had prepared silently. The place seemed empty without anyone else around.

"Hey Nii-san?" Dugo said, wanting the silence to end. "Where is everyone else?"

"I don't know Dugo… they should all be back by now…" Not another word was spoken between the two for the remainder of the meal. Rin had the unnerving feeling that something was terribly wrong, but if there was, he couldn't do anything about it. He was trapped here in the monastery. After their silent meal, the two boys cleaned up and turned in early. There was nothing else to do today. Not even a decent conversation could be struck up between the two because of the gloomy atmosphere. Soon after they got into bed, Rin could tell that Dugo had fallen into a deep sleep. So, feeling it was save, Rin pulled out the letter he had been eagerly awaiting to read all day.

_Dear Rin and Dugo, I know this will sound very weird and you may not trust me, but you have to listen to me when I tell you, you are in danger. Please, meet me by your gate at midnight. You don't have to do as I say, but at least hear me out, okay?_

_~David _**(1)**

After reading the short letter, Rin willed the flames on his hands to burn the paper to ashes. He didn't want to leave any trace of the letter fro Dugo to see. Although he didn't trust this 'David' person, he decided he might as well hear him out, but he would do so with extreme precaution. Looking over to this wall clock, Rin saw that it was only 9pm. 'I guess I'll have to wait 3 hours.' Rin, getting out of bed quietly, so as not to wake Dugo, went out and waited in the kitchen. He stared at the fridge wondering what he could be 'in danger' of.

After three hours went by, Rin walked out of the monastery and saw a figure in a trench coat and hat standing by the gate. As Rin drew closer he heard the guy say,

"Where's Dugo?" His voice was a little muffled under his coat, but judging by his height and how deep his voice was, Rin thought this 'David' guy was 18ish.

"He's asleep. I didn't want him here for this." Rin said calmly. He wasn't sure how much he could trust the guy yet.

"I'd rather him have been here for this, but just you is fine." The guy took off his trench coat and hat, letting them drop to the ground. Underneath the coat, Rin could see the guy was wearing a plain white T-shirt and a pair of jeans. The guy had short, spiky, blond hair and was well built. His eyes were an un-natural golden color and Rin could've sworn he saw them sparkle. "My name's David by the way. I know I wrote it on the later, but I like formal introduction better." Rin stared at the guy, suspicious, but watched quietly as he removed his shirt. At first, Rin thought this to be very weird, but realized it held a purpose. Over the guy's heart on his chest was a golden brand mark of the Satanic Cross. "You two aren't the only one's Sophie's gotten to." Rin eyed the guys brand, briefly wondering who his demonic parent was. "Sophie's been doing this for years. Collecting and marking those who have demonic parents. She usually releases us afterwards, but I get the feeling her plans are soon going to be fulfilled, with you at the center." David explained, putting his shirt back on. Rin stood baffled, by the new information. It was quite strange for some random half-demon to come here and just blurt out all this information. "Anyway, take this." David said, tossing a small little rock at Rin. Catching it, Rin examined the rock carefully. It was small, about the size of a pepple. A moon was engraved on it.

"Wait, what is it?"

"It's called the Moon Stone. It should aid you in defending yourself." David re-wrapped himself in his trench coat and started walking away.

"Hey! Wait! You're just going to leave! Why did you tell me all this?!" Rin called after him.

"I thought you should know! Don't worry, we'll meet again some day." David called out. Rin watched him as he walked down the street. Eventually, Rin lost sight of the guy. _'The hell was that all about? He just drops off this stone then walks away? …. And who was his parent anyway… his brand was gold...'_ Rin stood at the gate staring at the Moon Stone, everything very confusing to him. Nevertheless, Rin soon went inside and back to sleep, keeping the stone in his pocket.

From afar, a man watched through binoculars as the two boys conversed. His one hand was on the binoculars while the other was on his phone, pressing it to his ear.

"Sophie? We have had an unexpected occurrence."

"What is it Mason?"

"David showed up and literally GAVE Rin the Moon Stone!"

"WHAT?! That's great! Why would he do such a thing?"

"Maybe he's starting to see your way?" Suggested Mason.

"No, David's not like that. He definitely has an ulterior motive in all of this. However, as they say, never kick a present to the curb! We'll retrieve the stone sometime soon, but for now, you can return to the carnival."

"As you wish." said Mason, hanging up.

* * *

**AN: (1) If you didn't know, my name is David, and eventually I always like to put my name somewhere into the story. This character's original name was Matthew, but then I was like NAHHHHHH make it David :P**

**PS: Let me know if you guy thought it was rush or if it was just me. **


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I don not own Ao no Exorcist**

* * *

_[ ?, Hell's Carnival ]_

The man named Mason returned to Sophie's side quickly. He had been given a key to the carnival, so he it was easy to make his way back. When he returned, he found Sophie in her makeshift 'office'. She had set it up in the abandoned hall of mirrors. She had overheard someone say it was because she liked to look at herself. That person is no longer around. Anyway, when Mason returned, Sophie was staring at papers that littered the desk that was in the middle of all the mirrors.

"What are you doing?" Mason asked politely. Sophie noticed the man hadn't even bothered to say hello, but she let it go for now. She was too stressed.

"I'm trying to get this whole David incident through my head. We had originally needed Rin to go, FIND David then steal the stone… but… David just GAVE him the stone! Where's the logic in that?"

"Maybe he's starting to see things your way?"

"No… David's not like that. After what I did, he'd NEVER trust me again." Sophie responded.

"Indeed…" replied Mason, remembering the time David had been apart of their little cult.

* * *

**[ 2 Years Previously ]**

_[ In Assiah, America, Ohio ]_

David had lead a normal life. He grew up in Ohio with his adopted Mom and Dad, unaware of his demon heritage. His powers, nor his demonic features hadn't manifested, so nobody had any knowledge of him being a demon. He had lived a peaceful and normal life. He got good grades, had good friends, never got in trouble and was considered to be a rolemodel. However, on his sixteenth birthday, it all went to hell. Usually, David didn't like to do anything for his birthday, but this year his friends from school had coaxed him into seeing a movie. When he arrived at the movie theater, he instantly saw a small group of 3 of his friends. However, among them was a fourth person, someone he had never met. Walking up to his group of friends, they all immediately introduced the new girl, Sophie. David shook Sophie's hand and smiled, letting the pretty girl know that his name was David. Apparently, she was supposed to start going to school with them in a week or so. So, seeing as how the girl checked out, he had no problem with allowing her to join the group for a movie. When the four entered the theater, they took four seats near the front, close to the screen. As soon as the movie started, everyone in the theater rose up out of their seats and left. All except for Sophie and David. David watched curiously, as everyone including his friends left. He had called out to them, asking them to stay, but they didn't even seem to be able to hear him. He tried grabbing ahold of one of them, but they simply shrugged him off. Within two minutes, Sophie and David were all alone.

"Alone at last!" Sophie said, clapping her hands. David stared at the strange girl, and could tell she wasn't at all weirded out by what happened, like she was expecting it to happen. Or she caused it.

"The hell just happened?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." Sophie said. "Now, let's get going, night is coming." Sophie stood up and reached her hand out to David who just stared at it, perplexed.

"The hell? Who are you! I don't even know you, and your asking me to go god knows where with you? No thanks. I'm just going to go home." David stood up and went to walk away, but Sophie stopped him, gripping his arm with immense strength. _'Damn! This chick is strong! She looks so puny and weak, how can she be this strong.'_ David struggled to release his grip from hers, but she didn't let go.

"David, stop it. You're embarrassing yourself. I've been watching you for some time now, and I've discovered that you have…. a special talent. There are very few like you."

"A…. special talent?" David asked, a little intrigued by the idea. Sophie shook her head, slipping her hand down David's arm and into his hand, hold it in hers.

"Now come on. You'll be home before it gets too late, I promise." David eyed the girl, and shrugged. He allowed her to lead him out of the fire exit door at the end of the theater. Once they reached the parking lot, a car instantly drove up, causing David to tense a little. "Oh calm down!" Sophie said, "It's just my dad!" The car slowed to a stop in front of them, and Sophie opened the back door for David. Hesitantly, David entered the car, Sophie followed in behind him. He knew it was completely wrong to go with stranger, but he figured this girl couldn't be THAT bad. She was going to go to his school in a week, and they'd probably grow to be good friends. Also, David could tell there was something different about her. She seemed… powerful.

"So, where are we going?" David asked. Sophie, looking David in the eye, said,

"You're going to sleep." He looked curiously at the girl, but a swift and strong punch to the face knocked him right out.

"Was the really necessary, Sophie?" Charles asked from the front seat.

"YES! I didn't want to use the mesmer on him. If he was able to resist it then our plans could've been ruined. We have to perform the ceremony on, quickly and then move on to England. I have some connections there and people have been saying they saw some teens demonstrating demon-like behavior."

"It's just one place to another! First Asia, now America, and soon England!"

"And don't forget, I have some hunches about Japan, but that won't be for a while." Charles grunted in response, obviously annoyed with the constant moving. Roughly an hour later, Charles was lifting the unconscious David out of his car and into the abandoned factory Sophie had decided to set up shop in. Sophie and her father made there way to the factories basement, where Sophie had had some cult members draw up the four pentagrams on the wall, and the one on the floor in the middle. Quickly strapping him into the chains, Sophie smacked him upside the head to get him to wake up.

"W-W-Where… am I?" David asked, looking left and right, trying to get his bearings. However, Sophie held David's head in her hand's forcing him to look forward. David struggled at the girl's grip and realized that his arms and legs were bond. "What the hell?" David asked, continuing to try and escape the bonds. "What do you want with him?" David said staring at the girl. She, however, just ignored all of David's questions.

"We're ready!" she called out. David never stopped trying to escape his captors. He was so confused and scared. He didn't understand what was going on or why, but he knew he didn't want to be apart of it. He continued his thrashing and attempts at escape, but it was in vain, he couldn't escape. "Chill out!" Sophie said, walking towards David, a brand looking pecie of metal in her hand.

"The hell is this?"

"You'll see soon!" Sophie snicked at him. "Someone get his shirt!" David continued to struggle as some random hooded person came up and cut off his shirt. It was then that he realized that there was a group of people in the room. He hadn't see them because of how dark the room was but now, he could see the group there, staring at them from under their darkened hoods. "Are you ready David?" However, David didn't respond, he just stared coldly into the girls eyes. "I'll take that as a yes!" She said, giggling. Without waiting another moment, Sophie began to recite the demonic verses.

_"Through the power of thine lord, I ask to release this boy from his hardships. Allow him to relish in thine lord's fire. Allow his to escape his restraints and descend to his place in thine lord's kingdom. Let him accept his fate, as a follow of thine lord, SATAN!"_ David listened in horror when she said Satan, but barely had time to think about it, before she slammed the brand over David's heart. He screamed out in pain, light resonating off his body. He could see the blinding light coming from his own body, but was too busy dealing with the searing pain to wonder why it was. Meanwhile, Sophie continued onto her second verse. _"Break this one's bonds with the thoughts of heaven and god! Let him fulfill his job as a follower and worshipper of thine lord! Allow him to see the error in his ways and to accept thine lord! Allow him to serve thine lord with his heart body and soul! Allow this young man to be yours, now and forever! Thine lord, Satan!"_ After she finished, she released the metal from David's chest, allowing him to catch his breath. Finally relieved from the pain, David looked at himself and could see light literally coming off of him. He was too busy panting, currently, so Sophie spoke up,

"I guess I own an explanation, huh?" David just shot her a glance that said, 'UH, DUH!?'. "Well, you are a demon! Congradulations!"

"What… did you… do to me..?" David asked, barely getting the words out.

"That mark," Sophie said, pointing at David's golden brand, "Is the mark of Satan. It breaks any seals on half-demons powers and prevents new ones from forming. Although, at your age, a re-sealment would be impossible."

"A d-demon…?" Sophie nodded.

"By the looks of it, you're the son of Lucifer, Demon King of Light. Lucky you. He's the second strongest demon after Lord Satan." Staring at his glowing body, David said,

"King… of light?"

"Anyway, you're free to go. I have no use for you currently. Although, I'll be back at some point."

"That's it? You're just going to leave me like this? I can't go home glowing like a freak!" She stared at the guy and a thought came to mind.

"Well you have two options, the way I see it. One, go home and try to regain your ordinary life, or Two, come with me and join my cult."

"Your...cult.." David said, looking at the hooded figures. _'I don't know what to do. I really shouldn't trust this girl.. but she the only one who can tell me about all this… demon… stuff.'_ David stared at the girl, debating his options._ 'What should I do…?' __**'She knows about this stuff… she could probably teach me…'**__ 'Yea.. she probably could.. but what about Mom and Dad…?' __**'They probably wouldn't understand what's going on and just reject me anyway. Besides they're not my REAL parents.'**_ After a long pause, David spoke,

"Fine, I'll come with you."

"Great!" said Sophie smiling. "Now, lets get you out of those chains." Sophie removed David from the bindings and he rubbed his wrists. They were bleeding a bit from all of his struggling.

"So… now what?"

"Well actually, you're in luck! We're about to move our operations over to England, so you'll be coming with us." Sophie said.

"That's not what I meant. I wasn't talking about your cult. I'm talking about this!" David said, waving around his body gesturing towards the light that was glowing from him. However, when David got to his feet, he felt something move behind him. Turning around he caught sight of his tail and flipped shit. "The hell! I have a tail! That's so cool!" Sophie just laughed at the 16 year old's excitement over his tail.

"You seem pretty excited for someone who just found out they were a demon." However, David just shrugged.

"Life's boring. THIS however, is very cool!" His tail was golden like his eyes and it seemed to sparkle when the light hit it. And considering he was a giant walking light bulb, his tail was sparkling all over.

"Well, with discipline and work, you can learn to control your powers. If you get good enough, you can even make your glow go away." Sophie held out her hand, and David accepted it, allowing her to drag him out of the room and into the main part of the factory.

"Oh, by the way, what is this?" David asked, using his free hand to point at the brand.

"It's the Satanic Cross. As I said before it broke the seal on your powers. If you're wondering why it's gold, that's because of your heritage. Your dad is Lucifer, Demon King of Light, so it's only natural that you have a golden brand and a golden tail."

"Seal? What do you mean?"

"Well, you've always had powers, since the moment you were born. However, the only reason you didn't know about them is because some sealed them away, most likely in a weapon of some sort. This brand releases all that power and breaks the weapon or talisman that your powers were kept in." Soon, Sophie had led him to a one of the many backrooms in the factory and in it was a big queen sized bed. The walls and floors were the same dreaded color as the facility, but the room was filled with various nicknacks and posters one would find on a typical teenage girl's bedroom. Thinking back for a moment, a question came to David's mind.

"Hey, are you a demon too? Now that I think about it, its seem likely considering what happened at the theatre."

"Wow, aren't you perceptive? Yes, I'm the daughter of Azazel, Demon King of Spirits."

"I see. And you run this cult, I'm guessing? You keep referring to it as 'My cult'." Sophie just nodded, as she walked and sat down on the bed that David assumed to be hers. "How old are you exactly? If you're leading a cult like this should you be a bit older than 16?"

"Actually, I'm 23. Demons have very slow rates of growth, because they live longer. Although, if ones powers are sealed, they age normally."

"I see… So your older than me?" David asked very surprised. "Your so short! I seem, like, two years older than you!"

"Are you making fun of me?" Sophie asked.

"N-No. Just pointing it out." He said with a smile. Sophie patted the other side of the bed, motioning for David to lie down.

"This factory is already filled with other cult members, so you'll be staying here tonight. Tomorrow's the big move to England anyway." David blushed a little at the idea of getting to bed with a girl, but did as she instructed. After he crawled into bed, next to Sophie, he stared at the surrounding walls, looking at the posters.

"Wait, if you're 23, aren't you a little old to be liking boy bands?" this time, it was Sophie's turn to blush.

"It is perfectly normal for someone to like boy bands at any age okay!?"

"Whatever!" David mused. As he fell asleep, David thought to himself, _'Best. Birthday. Ever.'_

* * *

**[ 1 Year Later ]**

_[ In Assiah, Various Places ]_

About a year later, the cult was now stationed in England. David, for one, enjoyed being with Sophie very much, finding her easy to relate to. She WAS the only other half-demon around. Also, throughout the year that he was with Sophie, he had helped prepare for and witness at least fifteenth brandings. David also found it slightly amusing how shocked the person would be. It reminded him of himself. However, unlike himself, Sophie never offered any of the people she branded to stay with the cult. She would always plop them back into their place in live, leaving them, for the most part, unharmed. Eventually, Sophie had grown to trust David and believed him to be her right hand man. Usually he was only needed to discipline revolting or rebelious cult members, but otherwise, he just stood guard by Sophie's side. However, one day Sophie asked him to do something different.

"David, I need you to do something for me."

"Of course. What do you need?" David asked.

"Come, I have something to show you." Sophie led David to the nearest door and inserted a key into the lock. Upon opening the door, David found himself walking out of a port-a-potty and into a carnival of sorts.

"Where are we?"

"This is Hell's Carnival. It's where we keep the Sun Stone."

"Sun Stone?" Sophie nodded her head.

"It's a powerful artifact that I need for my plans. However, for it work the way I need it, I need it's counterpart, the Moon Stone."

"And you want me to get said Moon Stone, correct?"

"That's right! Although, I want to show you the Sun Stone first." Sophie led him through the twisted carnival grounds until they arrived at the big circus-like tent in the middle. Once inside, David saw a giant slab of rock in the middle of the ring.

"Is that it?"

"Yep! It's very heavy! It took us like 50 people to lift it! Anyway, your going off to Germany to retrieve the Moon Stone and bring it back here."

"All by myself?! You said it took 50 people to lift this one!"

"Don't worry! The Sun and Moon Stones were made in proportion to the actual sun and moon. Although, I doubt it equally proportional…. ANYWAY, point is, The Moon Stone is a lot smaller and can probably fit into your pocket."

"Oh, Okay. So where did you say it was again? Germany?"

"Yea, your going to need this." She said, handing him a key. It will return you to our base in England.

"Cool." David said, accepting the key. "So, why do you need the stones? What do they do?"

"Well, they both have there own separate abilities. For one, the Sun Stone can imprison anything or anyone, causing it to become immobile. The only thing that can occur in the Sun Stone is breathing, nothing else. And then with the Moon Stone, it enable the holder to create an impenetrable shield, at the cost of themselves not being able to move. They could probably keep it up forever, but they'd be stuck inside it."

"I see. Interesting. So what do they do when together?"

"Ah ah ah! That's a surprise!"

"Oh come on!" However, Sophie didn't budge. Reluctantly, David gave up on his begging. "Well, I'll be off then."

"You better hurry! The nightmares might set in soon!"

"Nightmares?" David asked questioningly.

"Don't worry about it! Just hurry up and go!"

"Wait! But where is the stone?! Like, where in Germany?"

"That key should take you to a church in Germany. It's underneath it. Do whatever it takes to get that stone, even if you have to tear down the whole church, got it?"

"Yes ma'am!" David said, taking off, in search of a door.

Soon, David was in Germany thanks to Sophie's key. Just like she said, he was outside of a church, watching tons of people walking into it._ 'Dammit… is it Sunday? Screw it.'_ David walked into the church and decided that he'd sit through mass and wait until the majority of the people left. He stood in the back and listened to the priest drone on for what felt like hours until the service was finally over. Once everyone had left, David made his move. He walked up to the altar and used light to knock it over. While this may sound ridiculous, David had actually gotten pretty good with his abilities. So much to the point that he had figured out how to make light into a physical form, if only for a short while. It came in handy when he needed to blast something open. David knocked over the altar found no secret staircase like he was hoping to._ 'Dammit… maybe this place just has a normal basement.'_ Search, David tried every door in every hallway, unable to find a staircase going down. _'The hell is with this place?!'_ Finally, pissed beyond belief, David just started smashing the floor with beams of light, burrowing into the earth. Soon, David came across a strange stone room underneath the church. _'This must be it.'_ After he made a hole big enough, David jumped down into the hidden room and sure enough, he found the stone Sophie was talking about. He picked it up, but as he did, he heard a voice behind him.

"You know, breaking other people's property is very rude. You should be more considerate of their feelings." David turned around to find a hooded figure standing in the small, stone with him.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, nobody special. I just came to see what you would do with that Stone. You don't play on uniting it with the Sun Stone do you?"

"As a matter of fact we are."

"We?"

"Yes, Me, Sophie, and her cult."

"Ah… I see… So how many people were branded?" David was through off by the question. How did this random creep know about the brandings? And who the hell was he?

"Roughly 70… Sophie keeps track of all of them."

"Wow an army of 70 half-demons. That would be fun to watch."

"I'm sorry, what are you talking about?" David asked, staring.

"You don't know? HAHAHAHA! Well, I guess your leader wants to keep you in the dark. When the two stone meet with each other, than the Dawning will begin. During said time, all the people who were Branded with obey every command given to them by whoever created the brand. It also has the side effect of increasing the powers of demons, but that's irrelevant." David stared at the man, with shock and confusion. If he was telling the truth, when the stone met, then David would basically be Sophie's slave. If he was lying, then he still had no idea what would happen when the stones met.

"Judging by the look on your face, you were branded. What a cruel, cruel fate. Good luck with that!" The man disappeared evaporating into mist, leaving a EXTREMELY confused David standing there. After a lot of thought David decided he would return to Sophie and demand an explanation.

When he returned, he found Sophie in her room, flipping through a magazine on her bed.

"David! Did you get the Moon Stone?"

"Sophie, we need to talk." David said, seriously.

"What about?"

"Is it true that when the two stone meet, that everyone who has been branded will fall under your control?" Sophie stared at David, curious about how he obtained the information. However, she responded honestly,

"Yes."

"Then I'm sorry, but I can't stay here."

**"But you will stay here. You will do whatever I say."** David stopped and was about to turn around, when he realized that he wasn't going to do what Sophie said, EVER again.

"No, I wont. Goodbye Sophie." Inserting the key to Germany Sophie gave him, David left with the Moon Stone leaving a pissed off Sophie alone in her room._ 'DAMMIT! I knew I should have tested my mesmer on him so as to be sure! DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT! Now how will I get the Moon Stone…?'_ David disappeared and was never seen again for an entire year.

* * *

**[ Currently ]**

_[ ?, Hell's Carnival ]_

"Well, at least now we know where the Moon Stone is. I can't believe David revealed himself so easily. He has been missing for the past year." Sophie said, snapping back to reality from her memories.

"What shall we do?" asked Mason.

"Isn't that a stupid question? Gather a team of 5 and go capture me an Exorcist that has a key to the monastery. We need to get in. I want a key to Rin's monastery on my desk by this time tomorrow. Do you understand me Mason?" Sophie said, losing any touch of friendliness.

"Yes Ma'am." Mason said with a bow. Mason left, off to fulfill Sophie's request while she pondered what David was doing in all of this. _'Too bad. Maybe if I hadn't branded him than he would still be on my side in all of this. Now he feels betrayed because I didn't tell him about the stones. Whatever. Either way, when the Dawning comes his brand will activate...'_

**AN: HEYA! I know this seems really rushed and jumpy, but its just supposed to be a summary of David, nothing major. Still, I hope you liked it!**


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: This thing broke like 5 times during editing and I had to restar SEVERAL times. Editing took a LOT longer than it should have. Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao no Exorcist**

* * *

**[ Present Day, The Day after David's appearance at the Monastery ]**

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

When Rin awoke, he was really starting to worry. Yukio, who had disappeared without a trace, still hasn't returned and Fujimoto never came back with the other four priests like he said he would. Rin had tried to call up Yukio's cell, but it just went directly to voicemail. He also tried to call Fujimoto, but that didn't work either. Currently, Rin was pacing back and forth in the kitchen, idling playing with Moon Stone in his pocket as he wondered where everyone was. Dugo was sitting at the kitchen table, watching Rin worry.

"Where the hell are they? Shouldn't they be back by now?" Rin asked. However, Dugo just shrugged. It wasn't long before the phone rang and Rin practically tackled the damned thing to pick it up. "Hello?" Rin said, talking into the phone.

"Rin! How are you guys holding up?" It was Fujimoto.

"What do you mean how have I been holding up?! You guys left us here alone! Plus you said you would be back yesterday!"

"I'm sorry! Something major came up. Theres this big infestation down in Kyoto. Anyway, how are you, Dugo, and Yukio?" However Rin was puzzled by the question.

"What do you mean Yukio? Isn't he with you?"

"What? No."

"Oh… Yesterday he just took off without a word. I had assumed he had gone to wherever you did."

"Well did you call him?" Fujimoto asked.

"Of course! But his phone's off."

"And how long has he been gone?"

"Since yesterday morning."

"That's very unlike Yukio. And he didn't say ANYTHING about where he was going?"

"Nope, just up and left."

"Strange… I'll send some people to look for him. In the meantime, me and the others are almost finished up here, so be expecting us for dinner tonight, okay?" Looking at the time, Rin saw that it was only 3pm, so his father would be home soon, by the sound of it.

"Got it. See you then." Hanging up the phone Dugo asked,

"So, when they coming home?"

"They said they'd be home for dinner." Rin said, calming down a bit.

"Okay. So what do you want to do until then?" Except before Rin could respond, a different voice spoke up. One that Rin had learned to dread.

"How about we play a little game called, hand over the Moon Stone?" Turning to the kitchen door, Rin saw Sophie staring daggers at him. Instantly, Dugo had jumped from his chair and took refuge behind Rin.

"The hell are you doing here Sophie?" Rin asked, snarling at her.

"I came for that little stone David gave you! If you don't want to give it willingly I could always recite the mantra and just take it from you while you squirm in pain." Rin briefly flickered his gaze towards Dugo, remembering that he also had a tail binding on. After a long pause, Rin took out the stone from his pocket.

"Nii-san? What is that? And who's David?"

"I'll explain later." Rin replied. Rin was about to toss the stone at Sophie when another unexpected voice broke in.

"Don't do it Rin." Out of literally thin air, David appeared, leaning up against the fridge. Rin looked at the boy dumbfounded. Sophie herself was a little surprised to.

"The hell?! Why is everyone in my house? And how as a matter of fact?!" However, nobody answered his questions. Instead Sophie and David stared at each other from across the room.

"Hey David! Long time no see!" Sophie finally said, smiling.

"Likewise. Now, I doubt you came alone. Where's your entourage?"

"As perceptive as ever I see!" Sophie replied, snapping her fingers as she did so. Rin counted 5 Satanists as they entered the kitchen one by one, guns raised at the three demons.

"Nii-san, I thought you said they couldn't get back here…" Dugo said, clutching Rin tighter. However, Rin didn't respond to Dugo, not knowing what to say. He HAD said that.

"Rin," David said, speaking up. "Don't give her the stone. That's the only thing stopping her from-" However, before he could further explain, Sophie cut him off.

"Rin, just cough up the damn rock." Sophie said, her voice losing all the fun and playfulness it usually had. "If you don't I'll just recite the mantra." Rin growled at her, but did as she said. As soon as Rin threw the Moon Stone at the her. Something very strange happened. A great, blinding light encased the entire room. Everyone in the room looked away, the light hurting their eyes. Sophie was could hear the Moon Stone fall to the floor and the sound of a door down the hallway slam closed. And as soon it had come, the light faded away. Leaving Sophie and her group alone in the kitchen, with Dugo Rin and David nowhere to be seen.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, Location Unknown ]_

The sudden flash had startled the crap out of Rin and Dugo, but that didn't stop David from grabbing both of them by the hand and quickly dragging them out of the room. Swiftly, David had taken them down the hall, insert a key into the doors lock, opened the door, shoved the two inside, and walked in after them, slamming the door behind him. It had all happened so suddenly, Rin was completely flustered. However, Dugo on the other hand, was just flat out scared. He was so scared, in fact, that tears began to well up in his eyes. Noticing, Rin crouched down, hugging the kid. He allowed his flames to envelope the small child. Dugo could feel the warmness of Rin's flames.

"Calm down Dugo. It's okay. David here is a good guy. He's not gonna hurt us." As he tried to soothe the boy, Rin ruffled his hair and allowed his tail to lightly play with Dugo's.

"Okay..." Dugo said, sniffling. Releasing Dugo from his hug, Rin looked towards David.

"David?" Rin asked, "Where the heck are we?" Rin looked around and found himself in a small, yellow room. The walls were bare and there were no windows. The only things in the room was a small bed and a dresser next to it.

"This is my base. To be more specific, it's my room in my base."

"Okay…? Whatever, just start from the beginning."

"Excuse me?" David asked.

"Tell us what the fuck is going on!" Rin yelled a little angrily. Sighing, David said,

"Fine. Well… where to start…."

"W-Who are you….?" asked Dugo shyly. It had momentarily slipped Rin's mind that Dugo hadn't met David before.

"Oh, I'm sorry Dugo. This is David. I met him last night, while you were asleep. All I know about him is that he's branded, just like us." Dugo's eyes widened a little in surprise, and when he looked over at David for confirmation, David lifted up his shirt enough to reveal his golden brand. "Other than that, I don't know much about him. Our conversation was very short."

"Well, now that we have time, I guess I can explain everything. The only thing that you may not have known about me is that I'm the son of Lucifer, Demon King of Light."

"That would explain the golden brand alright." Rin said, nodding slightly.

"Yea. I have many powers over light and the such. I'd like to say I've gotten pretty good at it. I learned that by manipulating the visible light spectrum, I could make myself and the things around me invisible."

"So… that's how you were in the kitchen…" Dugo said.

"Yep. I actually needed to get you two out of the monastery so I devised a small little plan. I made sure Sophie knew I gave you the 'Moon Stone' and then made my way to her current base and hid while invisible. Once she managed to get a key to the monastery, I just snuck in with her group. Pretty ingenious if I do say so myself!" David said, looking smug.

"That's all fine and dandy, but why did you need to get us out? Do you know what Sophie's planning?" Rin asked the golden haired boy.

"In fact, I do. Heres the story…." It took around a half hour, but David explained himself to the two boys. He told them about his past, Sophie finding him, training him, and then finally about the Stones and what would happen when they meet.

"They call it the 'Dawning'," said David, "and when it comes about, everyone with a brand will fall under Sophie's complete and utter control." Rin looked mortified, and Dugo, sadly, looked like he was on the edge of tears.

"And I just gave her the Moon Stone…" Rin said. However, this earned him a burst of laughter from David.

"Like hell you did! I hid the Moon Stone a LONG time ago. That was just a cheap imitation. Once she finds out though, she won't be at all happy." Rin sighed in relief at this.

"Wait then why'd you sound so serious when you said 'Don't give her it!'?"

"To add affect? She needed to be convinced it was the real stone." Replied David.

"I see..."

"S-So… how did you know about us…?" Dugo called out.

"Well, Rin wasn't that much of a secret. Once the vatican took him captive, the news kinda exploded everywhere through the order. A friend of mine is close to someone in the order and I heard about you from them. So, naturally, I snuck into the vatican and found you. I sat with you, outside of your cell, for most of your time there."

"So, you're a stalker?" Rin asked, creeped out by David having watched him.

"No, I was just making sure that nobody hurt you. You're probably the only one strong enough to crack the Moon Stone."

"Crack the Moon Stone?" Rin asked.

"Yes, but that won't be for awhile. From what I gather, you have very little control of your powers. You'll need to get much stronger than you currently are if you ever hope to stop Sophie's plan." Rin stared at the guy for a bit, but then he turned around towards the door motioning for them to follow. "Come on, Let's eat dinner, I'm starving."

"Do you have anything spicy?" Interjected Dugo, quietly. David just opened the door and walked out, not responding. The two of them followed David down a small blank hallway. It was bare, just like his room was. No windows, nothing hanging up on them. The only other thing that was there were roughly 9 other doors.

"Are these all rooms?" Rin asked.

"Yes. Currently, I have a group of 3 marked, including myself, living here. You two will be staying here as well, considering how easily Sophie got into the monastery."

"But what about the exorcists? Surely, they will put me on there 'To Kill' list."

"You're scared of a few exorcists?" David said, barely holding back a laugh.

"No," replied Rin. "Just their mantras…."

"Oh that's right. I forgot you two have tail bindings. Don't worry! I'm sure we can find a way to get them off."

"It's not going to be that easy. Apparently Sophie altered them. If you try to take them off without using the release phrase, then it will activate."

"Well that sucks." Was all David said in reply. Now at the end of the hallway, the three of them entered a giant ass… cave? Yes, that's what it looked like. The walls were completely made of rock and stalagmites came down in various parts of the ceiling. Dugo and Rin looked around in awe.

"Yea, one of the others who stay here is a daughter of Amaimon. She created this little underground base. She was also able to bring down a working kitchen, a bathroom, and all the bedrooms." As he looked around, Rin found that the entire room was lit up by electric lights. Continuing his surveillance of the room, he saw a small living area with a couch and a tv. On the other side of the cave, there was a kitchen and dining area.

"Wow… this place is amazing! Where do you get the power for the lights?"

"Oh, we get our electricity and water supply from the building that is built roughly 400 feet above us. It's some big corporation building. They have no idea we are sapping their power or water! Not sure how long that will last though."

"That's totally amazing!"

"How do you get out?" Dugo asked, noticing no exists.

"Just keys. I tolf you my friend's friend was in the order right? He pulled some strings and was able to secretly make 10 keys that led here. Before we had the keys, Emily had to dig us out and they re-bury the hole. It was such a hassle." David replied. David lead them through the nice, huge cave and into the kitchen area. "So, what do you guys want to eat? All I can really make you is rice and or spaghetti."

"What?! That's all you have?" Rin asked, astonished.

"No!" replied David. "I just can't cook for shit."

"Then step aside! I'll be cooking."

"Be my guest!" David said, stepping aside so Rin could look through the cabinets and fridge to check out their ingredients.

"Where do you get all the food?" asked Dugo, seeing the fridge fully stocked.

"Well, Sophie doesn't actually care about the people she brands, so she lets us back into society. The other two, Emily and Jacob, are currently out working. Since we sap electricity and water from above and since we technically aren't a piece of property, we don't need money for anything but food."

"I see." said Dugo, staring up at David, studying him.

"Hey, out of curiosity," said Rin, as he pulled out a pan and placed in onto the stove. "Do you guys have a bath here?"

"Yea, but it's all cold water. We don't seem to be able to get any hot water from up above." Suddenly everyone in the room made the same face at once. They had all had the same idea. They spoke in unison.

"You and Dugo could heat it!" said David.

"Me and Rin could heat it!" said Dugo.

"Me and Dugo could heat it!" said Rin. Afterwards they all burst into laughter, finding the incident hilarious.

"No, but seriously, could you guys? I don't remember the last time I had an enjoyable soak."

"Yea no problem." replied Rin.

"Oh! I almost forgot. We only have one bath, so nobody's allowed to go in there when Emily takes a bath."

"Obviously." Rin could feel an immediate bond form between him and David. He could tell that they would be good friends. "Anyway, you guys can sit down, this'll be done in a few minutes."

"Okay…" said Dugo, as he walked over to dining area with David. Sitting down, David tried to strike up a conversation with Dugo.

"So, Dugo, how old are you?"

"Eight." he replied, emotionless.

"Okay… what do you like to do for fun?"

"Burn things."

"Oh, that's right you're the son of Iblis, correct? That's cool." However, Dugo didn't respond, he just stared at David with his piercing, red eyes. The boy's gaze unsettled David ever so slightly. "Dugo? You okay? You're barely talkin." However, Dugo continued to just look at the boy, not bothering to respond.

"Food's ready!" called Rin. He brought over the pan he had been cooking a stir fry in and spread the food onto everyone's plates. After he did so, he searched and found some barbecue sauce for Dugo to pour over his to make it 'one thousand times better'. Sitting down, Rin clapped his hands together saying, "Itadakimasu!" Rin watched as David tore into his food quickly, practically inhaling it. _'WOW he must've been hungry.'_ Rin followed suit, started to eat his meal, but noticed that all Dugo was doing was staring at David. He hadn't even touched his food.

"You know, Dugo," Rin said, "If you don't eat it soon, it'll get cold." However, Dugo ignored him, focusing all of his attention on David. Suddenly, Dugo's eyes grew wide in realization.

"So that's we I saw him before…" Dugo muttered to himself. Rin just looked at him curiously, but Dugo commenced eating, so he decided to let it. It wasn't that long into their meal, when they heard a door slam and a high pitched girl screeching in anger.

"GOD! I could just kill her! She's so annoying! 'Emily do this!' 'Emily do that!' Ughh she doesn't even let me take a break! I was I could be HER boss for a day! GOD! I'd show her!" The girl named Emily came out of the bedroom hallway into the main cave area. She had long brown hair and brown eyes. Her complexion was silky smooth and Rin was personally blown away by her good looks. Following behind her was a guy, Rin assumed this to be Jacob. He was tall and short black hair, similar to Dugo's. His eyes were a deep ocean blue and Rin thought that he looked a little like a nerd considering the glasses he wore. "Oh, hey there. Didn't think you'd be back with them yet." Emily said looking towards David. Quickly making their way through the cave, Emily took Rin's hand shaking it fiercely. "Hi! My names Emily! It's so nice to meet you!"

"U-Uh.. Nice to meet you to!" Rin said, blushing. She quickly moved onto Dugo, doing the same thing to him.

"And you're Dugo right?! How nice! You're so adorable!"

"HEY! Don't call me adorable!" Dugo said, glaring at her. However she just giggled.

"And I'm Jacob," Jacob extended his hand out to Rin's rather than just grabbing it. Rin grabbed it, shaking it.

"Rin. Nice to meet you." Rin could tell that his flames were unsettling Jacob, because he kept eyeing them. He also barely shook his hand and let go of it very fast. He went over and shook Dugo's hand as well.

"I may have already said this, but," said David, "Emily here is the daughter of Amaimon. She's the one who built this awesome base. And Jacob here is the son of Egyn, Demon King of Water.

"Of water?" Dugo said, his face falling into a small frown. "Hmph…." He pouted. Jacob sighed, fearing that this might be the case. Water and Fire just didn't mix.

"Anyway," Rin said, "We just started dinner. Are you guys hungry? I can whip you up something." Emily started nodding her head before Rin could even finished the question.

"YES! I'm starved! My boss works me to the bone!" Rin got up and walked over to the kitchen, calling back to her,

"Where do you work anyway? David told me you and Jacob had jobs, but where?"

"Well, I work at this terrible little clothing store, but it has good enough pay, so it's whatever. On the other hand, Jacob works at the zoo."

"Oh, that's cool. I could never hold down a job, back before all this demon stuff happened. I was too clumsy and always had accidents. Sometimes I also just skipped a day and got fired. I'm so bad at working." Rin called back, laughing. After he had whipped up two more plates of stir fry, Rin served Emily and Jacob and all five of them continued their meal. Everyyone was smiling and laughing and joking. Rin couldn't help but feel as if he was apart of a sort of makeshift family. A strange, demonic, makeshift family. And he enjoyed the feeling very much. _'This feels… right. Even though I barely know these guys other than Dugo, I feel like I belong here.'_

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

Fujimoto had returned roughly two hours too late. When he and the other priests came back to the monastery, they found it ransacked and destroyed. Rin and Dugo were gone and everything that could have been broken, was.

"What the heck happened here?" Fujimoto said, standing in between some of the pews in the main hall. All the windows were shattered, every light was broken, and sow of the pews had been ripped out of the floorboards and thrown across the room.

"I don't know, but we can't keep this one a secret. I believe we need to call in the Vatican." Fujimoto continued to observe the wreckage. He sighed. He knew Nagatomo was right, but he didn't like it. The Grigori would believe Rin had done all of this and escaped, rather than him being captured. Although, he himself didn't even know exactly what happened. Sighing once more, Fujimoto spoke up to Nagatomo.

"Fine, call them in." As Nagatomo walked away, Fujimoto was muttering to himself. "I knew we should have made the barrier impervious to key transportation…" Fujimoto made his way through the rest of the monastery and discovered that every part of it was as broken and destroyed as the main hall. "Dammit…" Soon enough a team of exorcists had arrived, here to aid in the clean up. Meanwhile, Fujimoto was being questioned by one of them, instead of helping clean up.

"Paladin. What exactly happened here?"

"I have no clue. I came home and it was like this."

"Where is Satan's spawn now?" The question irked Fujimoto greatly.

"He has a name! And it's Rin! As to where he is, I haven't a clue."

"I see. Do you believe you son did all of this?" The exorcist asked, motioning to everything that was broken.

"Not in the slightest. He's more well behaved then that. He was only rabid because a demon was influencing before. However, now that that can't happen, I seriously doubt it was him."

"And I believe there was another boy living with you? One that nobody seemed to claim."

"Yes his name is Dugo. He disappeared along with Rin." The exorcist scribbled some stuff down into his little notebook, then gave Fujimoto a polite bow, and walked away, saying,

"I must go report my finds to the Grigori. I will call with the Grigori's decision on the matter."

"Decision? What's there to decide?" Fujimoto called after the man. However, without turning around, the man called back,

"Whether or not to kill Rin Okumura on sight." Without another word, the man disappeared through a doorway, that Fujimoto expected he used a key to open. In a slight rage, Fujimoto slammed his foot against some of the broken pews.

"Dammit! Why did the Vatican send us all on that mission? And where the hell is Yukio?!" Fujimoto started raving to himself. He was so pissed. Too many times had Rin slipped away from him and he wasn't able to protect him. Fujimoto realized that he had been given many chances to save and protect Rin, and each time he ruined it. It was never able to truly keep his son safe. And now he feared that this may have been his last chance… and he blew it.

A few hours later, the Exorcist called back, just like he said he would. Fujimoto was hoping for decent news. However, he got the opposite of what he wanted.

"The Grigori have ordered the death of Rin Okumura. If anyone sees him they are to kill him on sight. Those who shelter him will be taken as enemies of the Order and killed along with him. I'm sorry." Fujimoto didn't respond to the man. He was physically unable to. In a rage, Fujimoto threw his phone as hard as he could against the wall. It shattered it pieces. He punched and kicked the wall repeatedly, trying to release all the pent up emotions inside of him. Although, eventually he gave up, falling to the floor, small tears trickling down his face. Rin was gone, once again, but this time, if he came back, he would die. And to top it all off, Yukio was missing too. Nothing had gone Fujimoto's way all day.

* * *

**AN: HEY ALLLLLLLLLLL I HAVE NOTHING TO PUT HERE LALALALALALALLA :P Hope you liked! Ty for reading!**


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: HOLA! ME IS SO SORRY D: THERE WAS NO UPDATE OVER WEEKEND D: WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY I SUCK SO BAD D: Anyway, here's the latest chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

_[ ?, Hell's Carnival ]_

Sophie was practically jumping with joy. With her recovery of the Moon Stone, she was finally going to be able to put her long awaited plan in action. As she entered the giant tent, she made her way to the center where Yukio stayed, trapped in the Sun Stone's encasement.

**_'Hey Yukioooooo~! How ya doin?'_**Sophie spoke telepathically, but even then Yukio thought her voice was annoying.

_'I'm doing terrible, thanks for asking.'_

**_'Sheesh! When are you gonna learn some manners?!'_**

_'When are you going to learn to grow up?'_ Sophie stared dagger at Yukio for this, but Yukio couldn't see it. His eyes were pointed straight ahead of him, while Sophie was to the left of him. _'So...'_ Yukio thought mentally sighing, _'What brings you here?'_ Yukio learned early on to ask about what was Sophie was doing because it meant she would get straight to the point.

**_'Im so glad you asked! I went to the monastery today and-'_**

_'You did WHAT?!'_ Yukio roared as best he could in thought. _'What did you DO?!'_ Many scenarios ran through Yukio's mind. Several of them involving Sophie hurt Rin and the others badly.

**_'Oh nothing! I just wanted to say hi to Rin! He had the Moon Stone, so it was only natural I go retrieve it from him.'_**

_'What… Rin had the Moon Stone? I thought you said you needed Rin first THEN he could get the Moon Stone.'_

**_'That's what I thought, but it appears the one who had the Moon Stone in his possession, literally GAVE Rin the stone. I managed to get it, but Rin escaped.'_** The last part of her statement made Yukio feel ten times better, but then he remembered what Sophie had said previously. She said something about when the two stone came together, then a Solar Eclipse would occur. How that was possible, Yukio didn't know, but he knew that this solar eclipse played a big role in Sophie's plans.

_'So now what? You're going to bring forth your solar eclipse?'_

_**'Of course! But I can't do that while the Stun Stone is active, so if you'd please-'**_Sophie waved her hand the barrier and it instantly fell. Yukio collapsed down onto the hard stone slab. He rose onto shaky feet, but it was hard to continue standing. He turned to see Sophie stepping onto the big stone platform and head in his direction. Finishing her statement, Sophie said aloud,

"MOVE!" With a swift kick to Yukio's stomach, he went flying from Sophie's powerful kick. He fell of the Sun Stone and onto the dirt floor clutching his, still unhealed, stomach. "Now, on with the show!" Yukio watched from the ground as Sophie removed a small pebble and set it down on the center of the stone. Quickly she ran of the Sun Stone and stared, waiting for something to happen. However, nothing did. She waited for a good two minutes a grin of anticipation on her face. However, Yukio watched as it slowly turned to a face of confusion. Yukio had to bite his tongue to hold back an involuntary laugh. Briskly, Sophie returned to the center and picked up the pebble, which Yukio determined to be the Moon Stone. On closer examination of the stone, Sophie discovered that it was merely painted purple and on the back, the paint was chipping to reveal a brownish-red color underneath.

"DAMMIT!" Sophie screamed, realising she had been duped. She chucked the pebble as hard as she could "If I ever see David again, I'm going to rip his head off his torso!" Yukio coughed a little, some blood seeping out of his mouth.

"So it's a fake? Guess they threw a wrench into your plans eh?" Sophie turned to Yukio, a murderous fury in her eyes.

"Yes they did. I know exactly what will make me feel better." As Sophie began to walk towards Yukio, he began to regret speaking.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Cave ]_

After they had finished their dinner, David and Jacob went off to watch TV, which Rin discovered had roughly 500 different channels. Upon further inspection, he discovered that they also had the three latest video game systems with a variety of different games for each. However, he wasn't allowed to watch or play with them. David had insisted that he go train using his powers, so here he was, with Dugo sitting in the bedroom that was assigned to him. It was located in between Jacob's and David's while Dugo's was located directly across from Rin's, next to Emily's. Rin's room was the same as David's, having bare walls, a single bed, and a small dresser. The only difference between the two rooms was that Rin's was a deep blue, while David's was yellow. Before they had started training, Rin and Dugo had stuck their head's into Dugo's new room and found that it was the same, but with red walls. However, Rin was now working with Dugo, training with his powers. Luckily, David had several candles stored away in the many cabinets in the kitchen, so that's what they were using to train. Because he had already learned how to sense and light things on fire, even with his eyes closed, Rin was currently working on lighting something ablaze, without burning it, like how he naturally didn't burn his clothes. However, he wasn't having much luck. The exercise was to engulf the candle in his flame without allowing to actually burn the candle. So far he had melted a total of 4 candles.

"This is so hard!" Rin complained.

"You're not even trying." Dugo said. "Just think of it this way. Imagine the candle is covered in moss, and you want to burn the moss, without burning the candle. Focus on the air around the candle, rather than the candle itself." Rin stared at Dugo. For a kid of 8 years old, he seemed pretty smart when it came to this kind of stuff.

"Fine, I'll try." With a little concentration, Rin was able to pull it off by doing it as Dugo had suggested. "Yes! I finally did it!" Rin got up from the floor and, triumphantly, made his way to the door, thinking today's lessons to be over. However, Dugo stepped in front of him.

"Hold it! David told me not to let you stop until you could conceal your flames." Dugo said, gesturing to Rin's flaming body. "Or until 10. And I highly doubt it's already 10." Rin stared at Dugo. This was ridiculous! He was listening to a kid that was roughly half his age! However, Rin just sighed and went to do as he was told. He returned to his cross legged sitting position on the floor.

"Okay then. So, how do I do it?"

"Well, this is how I did." Dugo said, taking a seat in front of Rin. "I just thought of it as snapping." Dugo snapped his fingers and set himself ablaze, fire jumping and leaping from him, like Rin. Snapping again, the flames disappeared. "I think that when I snap, I let my flames out, but when I snap again, they get put into a little jar inside of me." Rin gave Dugo a questioning look.

"A jar?"

"Yes. Where else would my flames go?" Dugo asked. Rin was about to respond, but realized that he didn't know where his flames went, so a jar could be plausible.

"But how do they go into this jar?" Rin asked.

"Well, when I snap, I imagine all my flames be sucked into the jar, therefore disappearing. It helps when you visualise it." Rin nodded. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to concentrate. Slowly he raised his hand and snapped. He opened his eyes to see that his flames had disappeared completely. However before he could jump up and rejoice, they came back, illuminating the room with their glow.

"Dang it… I had it there for a second." Dugo nodded at him.

"Well, just keep practising. You'll get it eventually. Anyway, there's not much that I can do now. I've taught you HOW to do everything I know. Now it's just a matter of you mastering them."

"You know Dugo, you're pretty wise for a kid that's only 8 years old."

"Thank you." Dugo rose up, walking towards the door.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"I told you! I taught you everything I can. There's no point for me to stay here. Keep on practising!" Dugo said with a big grin coming to his face.

"You just want to go watch TV! Traitor!" Dugo opened the door and exited. However, before he closed it, Rin saw the boy stick his tongue out at him. Sighing, Rin went back to trying to 'shove' his flames into the 'jar'. However, he wasn't having much luck. Each time he did it, he could hold it for longer and longer, but the flames always came back. '_Man… I'll never get it.'_ However, he instantly released how stupid he was being, and snapped out of it.

"The hell am I thinking? I can too do this!" Rin kept on snapping and kept on trying. It took him roughly two hours, and by the end of it he was drenched in sweat, but finally, FINALLY, he got his flames to go away. And this time they stayed away. He ran out of the room, completely ecstatic, and into the Cave. However, nobody was there. Looking to the clock, he saw that it was only 9, so it was a little early for everyone to have gone to bed. Quickly he made his way back to the bedroom hallway, and proceeded to the end of it where the bathroom was. Before he entered he made sure to knock in case Emily was inside, but she wasn't. It was like everyone had completely disappeared. Rin returned to the Cave and spotted a piece of paper taped to the TV. It read:

_Rin,_

_If you are reading this it means one of two things. One, you are slacking off and better get back to training before we get back and I smack you upside the head, or Two, you successfully concealed your flames! Congratulations if it's the second! Anyway, the four of us went to go buy Dugo and you some clothes considering all you have is what you are currently wearing. And don't worry, we have your clothes sizes. We should be back around 9:30ish. The stores close at 10 anyway, so the lastest we'll be is 10._

_Sincerly,_

_Emily and the gang. (David hates it when I call him and Jacob my 'gang' so I do it all the time!)_

Rin smiled at Emily's note, taking satisfaction in knowing that he was going to be getting some new clothes rather than wear the ones he had on, all the time. Besides, the ones he had on currently where drenched in his sweat. Smelling himself, Rin deciding he could use a bath, so he he made his way back to the bathroom and discovered that there was a towel rack with 5 different towels on it. Three of them had names stitched into them while the other two didn't. Reading the names, Rin discovered that David had a yellow towel, Emily had a brown one, and Jacob had a light blue one. Of the two that didn't have names, one was dark blue and one was red. Rin could easily figure out which one was his, considering it matched his room color.

"Wow. These guys sure like color coding." Rin drew his bath and discovered the water was literally ice cold. "Holy heck! They bathed in this!? It's so cold!" Snapping, Rin released his flames and started to slowly boil the water. After the bath had filled up completely, and Rin had heated it up to a suitable temperature, he willed away his flames with a snap, and began to strip down. Afterwards, he hopped into the bath and enjoyed a nice, long soak. Rin let out a sigh of relaxation and closed his eyes. He didn't know how long he had been sitting in there for before he heard a knock at the door and Emily's voice calling in.

"Rin? Are you in there?"

"Yea! I'm in here!"

"Okay! If you saw the note, I got your new clothes. I'm going to leave them in your room."

"Got it! Thanks Emily!"

"No problem!" she called threw the door. Realizing that he had been in the bath for a fairly long time, Rin quickly dipped his head into the water and washed up with some soap. Afterwards, he pulled the plug on the drain and got out, grabbing the unmarked, dark blue towel. Quickly he dried himself off, and exited the bathroom. As he walked down the hallway he saw Jacob and David conversing about some football game they saw on TV before they had left. However, when David saw Rin without his flames, he called out to him.

"Hey Rin! Nice job, got those flames under control I see." Rin smiled back, replying,

"Yea. Feel's so much better. When they were out, it felt like I was on a constant adrenaline high. Now I'm so much more relaxed."

"Good for you." chimed in Jacob with a smile. Rin holding his dirty, sweat drenched clothes in his hands asked,

"So where do we put dirty laundry?"

"Well we all do our own laundry, but we keep our dirty clothes in the laundry room. There's a door in the corner of the kitchen that leads to it. It's a little hidden, so you may not have seen it before." David responded. In fact, Rin hadn't seen the door David was referring to, but it didn't let them know that.

"Thanks!" Rin continued down the hall and entered his room, finding three outfits of clothes on his bed. It was just three pairs of jeans, three pairs of socks, three pairs of boxers, and three different T-shirts. Frankly, even though they were very simple, Rin liked the three outfits better than his old clothes. Rin also noticed that there was pair of pajamas. Quickly, Rin changed into the pajamas, seeing as how it was already ten and he would probably be going to be soon. Afterwards, he took his clothes and towel and returned to the bathroom, hanging up his towel. Then he took his clothes and heading over to the laundry room. On his way, he found Emily and Dugo in the dining area.

"Hey Emily! Thanks for the clothes." Rin said, as he walked by.

"No problem! It was my pleasure. And nice job with the flames! That didn't take very long. Took me roughly two days." Rin smiled at the complement.

"Nii-san? Wanna join us? Emily and I were playing Uno!" Dugo said. Looking more closely, Rin saw that they were, in fact, playing Uno. 'How had I missed that?'

"Sure! I'd love to. Let me just drop these off in the laundry room first." Rin said, holding up his dirty clothes.

"Okay!" Dugo said with a smile. Rin hurried off into the laundry room. Upon entry he discovered five baskets and, like the towels they were color coded and had names. However, unlike the towels, Rin saw that the baskets had his and Dugo's names on them already. _'I guess writing names on baskets is easier then stitching names onto a towel. Man, these guys went through a lot of preparation for me and Dugo. How long had then been planning on bringing us here? Probably since the Vatican threw me into the cage.'_ Rin looked around the room to see it was fairly large. It was white and had two washers and two dryers. Rin determined that they had two because they all did their own laundry. On top of each machine was a bottle of detergent and some dryer sheets. Otherwise, the room was completely empty. Rin tossed his clothes into his marked bin, then returned to Emily and Dugo to play Uno.

"Okay!" Rin said, as he approached. "So who here is ready to get crushed at Uno?"

* * *

**[ The next day ]**

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

Fujimoto woke up in the morning, hoping it was all just a dream. However, much to his disappointment, it wasn't. As he made his way from his bedroom to the kitchen, he passed many shattered windows and some smashed in doors. The previous day, a team of exorcists had helped repair the place partially. Now all that was left to fix was the windows and some of the doors. All the pews had been fixed, a new fridge had been put in place, because the old one had been knocked over and the smashed with, apparently a sledgehammer, and most of the glassware was replaced with some new versions. Even so, Fujimoto didn't really care about the state of the monastery. What he cared about was his two sons, whom were both missing currently. After he made himself a cup of coffee, Fujimoto quietly proceeded to his office. After the break in, an exorcist had report that Fujimoto's computer had been stolen, even though he had never had a computer to begin with. Either way, a brand spanking new computer had been installed for him and he, for one, wasn't complaining. Sitting down in his office chair, Fujimoto reclined as he savored the taste of his morning coffee. The peacefulness and quietness of his office had a calming effect on the stressed out man. It was soon, however, interrupted by ringing of the monastery phone. Quickly, Fujimoto picked up the phone, hoping it would be Rin like last time, but it wasn't. It was Mephisto.

"Fujimoto~! How are you! Doing good I hope?" Mephisto said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Fujimoto could imagine the smug look that was on his face. Sighing, Fujimoto responded,

"What do you want Mephisto?"

"Hey now! Is that anyway to treat your boss?" Fujimoto briefly recalled that he was the new self defence trainer at Mephisto's cram school, but had taken a lot of time off because of what happened with Rin and Vatican work.

"I haven't been to 'work' in over 2 weeks. I'd hardly call you my boss. Anyway, I've been swamped with work from the Grigori. I believe it's to keep me busy so I can't go looking for Rin and Yukio. Mostly Rin though. So, I repeat, what do you want?" Fujimoto pinched his nose, trying to stop the headache that was forming from just THINKING about the amount of work he had to do.

"I've found something that can help us figure out what happened to Yukio. I'll send you it on an email." Fujimoto could here a 'Ba-DING' sound come from Mephisto's computer as the email sent. "There you should have it now."

"Mephisto…" Fujimoto said, sighing once again. "How do I open email?"

"WHAT?! Fujimoto! Surely, you are joking!"

"Dammit Mephisto! I've never had a computer before! I've never needed one! Now, how do I open the damn email?!" Fujimoto roared into the phone. After a brief explanation on how to open up his email, Fujimoto located the email Mephisto had sent him. Attached to it was a video.

"So you found it?" Mephisto asked.

"Yea, I'm opening it now." Fujimoto quickly opened the video and a small window poped up, displaying a pause/play button, the time of the video, and a fast forward and rewind button. On the screen played a 30 second clip that played on a loop. As Fujimoto watched, Mephisto explained what was happening.

"As you can see, Yukio was seen by this convenience store camera, following this man. Soon they both walk into the alley way. After roughly 10 seconds, you can see that Sophie and gang of a view men can be seen turning into the same alleyway. I believe there is a bollo out on young Sophie and her family correct? And didn't Yukio shoot her? Seems she went for revenge. I took the whole tap from the camera, but nobody ever walks out of the alley, so they must've used a key to get away." Fujimoto stared at the screen horrified that Yukio had been kidnapped. He was hoping that Yukio had just run off somewhere and was hiding for some unknown reason, but no. Instead, he was taken by Sophie, the girl who had taken Rin away. _'Does she have Rin too?'_ Fujimoto thought for a moment. However, Mephisto broke his train of thought.

"Anyway, I must be going. I have a school to run! Toodaloo~!" Setting the phone down, Fujimoto started to get more and more stressed out. His son was kidnapped and his other son is missing, possibly kidnapped as well, and he could do jack shit to help them. _'I'm sorry Rin and Yukio… I'm so sorry…'_ Trying to get his mind off of things, Fujimoto quickly prepared for his mission the Vatican had assigned him. He was to be heading to the Ryukyu Islands, off the southern tip of Japan. His mission was to clear out a small temple that had been inhabited by some high level demons. It would take him or any upper-class exorcist an hour to finish the job, but he had roughly 4 hours worth of travel to do, because of the fact that there were no keys that connected that Japan branch and the Ryukyu islands. Nothing ever seemed to go right for Fujimoto.

**AN: HEY ALLLLLL! I'M SO SORRY THERE WAS NO UPDATE OVER THE WEEKEND, AGAIN, *CIRES HIS EYES OUT* I had writers block! So sad D: **


	27. Chapter 27

**AN: GAHHHHHH! I hate myself! My updates are becoming slower and slower! What is wrong with meh!? Anyway, this past week I've been a little bit busier than normal. I only have time to write before I go to bed, so I don't get a lot done D: SORRY!**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new chapter!**

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Cave ]_

Rin was very surprised. He awoke to a face full of whipped cream that he had smack onto his face himself. Apparently, since he was the only one asleep, the rest of them had decided to pull a prank on him. All the older kids wanted to do something way more extreme and funny, however Dugo came up with the simplest and easiest to perform prank, so they went with that. The four of them had snuck into Rin's room and filled his hand full of whipped cream. Afterwards, Dugo used to tail to tickle Rin's nose and instinctively, Rin used to hand to rub it, smacking himself with the whipped cream. It was one of the oldest and most well known pranks out there, but it was funny none the less. Now, Rin was sitting up, looking at the four half-demons, bursting out in laughter.

"The hell!" He said, piecing together what happened.

"I'm S-Sorry!" said David between his laughs. "B-But… you were asleep…. and it's already 11!" As the four of them continued to laugh and find the incident insanely funny, Rin used his clean hand to pull off his covers. He left the four in his room, laughing, as he went to wash his face in the bathroom. Afterwards, he returned to find that they had calmed down, but Emily seemed to be unable to stop laughing. Rin noticed that tears were forming in her eyes, because she thought it was so funny.

"It's not that funny!" He said. However, he couldn't hear Emily's reply because she was laughing too hard. Quickly, and not caring that the others were in the room with him, Rin took off his pajamas and changed into a new pair of clothes, keeping the same pair of boxers on. "So, Why'd you wake me up?" he asked, looking to David.

"Dude, you're the only one who can cook! We're hungry!" Now it was Rin's turn to laugh.

"Really?! HAHAHA! You guys are pathetic!" However, smiling, Rin went off to the kitchen to start breakfast. The other followed him, taking seats at the table. "So, any requests?" Immediately, Dugo stood atop of his chair to make himself heard. Raising his hand he said,

"I vote pancakes!" The others just stared at him, but Rin smiled, knowing how much the small boy liked pancakes.  
"That okay with everyone?" Rin called. The three just exchanged looks and since nobody objected, Rin started to make the pancakes.

"So, David, what are your plans for today?" Emily asked as they waited for the pancakes.

"Well, while you and Jacob are at work, I'll probably go meet my contact in the Order, see what's going on."

"Wait a second," Rin called from the kitchen, overhearing him. "David you don't you have work too? It's Thursday isn't it?"

"Actually," Jacob said, "David doesn't have a job. He just sits around on his a-" looking to Dugo he changed the word he was about to say, "butt."

"Hey! You know you wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me." David said. Smiling, Jacob just dismissed his argument.

"Face it! You don't work because you just don't like to." David was about to counter that, but he shut his mouth because he couldn't think of a good counter argument. "Ha! I'm right!"

"Whatever! Rin! Where are the pancakes!?" David said, trying to change the topic.

"Hold on! I've barely even started them! Gimmie some time!"

"Emily?" said Dugo, barging into the conversation.

"Yes, Dugo?"

"I don't think you should go to work today." he said.

"What? Why?" However, when asked for a reason, all Dugo could come up with was,

"I… don't know." The entire table looked at him strangely, finding the statement to be unusual. Afterwards, an awkward silence descending upon the table. It last for a few minutes, until, finally, Rin said,

"Okay everyone! Pancakes are all done!" Instantly, the mood of the room returned to it's cheerful talkative state.

"Rin these are awesome!" Emily said.

"Wow! I thought dinner last night was just a fluke!" said Jacob, quickly eating his pancakes.

"Thanks!" Rin said, helping himself to some as well. David was the only one who hadn't taken a bite of the food yet. He was too busy focusing on Dugo. However, nobody noticed. David was so intently focused on Dugo, that he hadn't even realised how long he had been staring until Jacob said,

"Well, I'm all done! I have to head off to work!"

"Yea, me too! Thanks for the food Rin!" Emily said.

"No problem!" Rin replied. Now snapped back into reality, David started eating his food. Shortly, after the two of them left, Dugo asked,

"So… What are we gonna do all day?"

"I don't know. Hey, David, what's there to do around here?"

"Besides watch TV and play video games or card games, not much. I can give you a key to a park, but, and don't get mad when I say this, I don't trust you guys yet."

"What?!" Rin said, completely shocked. He roared in anger, "If anything it should be US who aren't trusting YOU."

"What did I say? Don't get mad! It's not that I don't trust you, trust wise. I just don't trust you responsibility wise. If you get seen by the wrong people or do the wrong thing while out in public, you could very well be taken away by Sophie or the Exorcists."

"Oh." said Rin, calming down. "Sorry."

"Nah, it's cool. Anyway, we can all go out and do something later. As I said before, I'm meeting with an acquaintance today, but afterwards I'm having lunch with Emily. Afterwards, I'm free all day, so, 'till then you're just going ot have to find something to do here."

"Okay." Rin replied, simply. Rin and Dugo watched as David walked over the laundry room and used a key on the door to leave to wherever. "Cya later!" Rin called as he exited. David just waved his hand behind his head, not saying anything as he shut the door behind him.

"Nii-san? What do you want to do?" Dugo said, his tail whipping around in excitement. Rin raised an eyebrow at Dugo and replied,

"I don't know. What do YOU want to do?"

"I'm so glad you asked. Can we try out the video game system? I've only ever played on one once before."

"To be honest, I haven't played on one in a long time. Last time I did was really young and at a friends house. It's funny though because I was never aloud back at that house after I punched the kid for making fun of me." Sighing and smiling, Rin continued, "Ah, the good old days."

"So?! Can we?" asked Dugo, a little impatient.

"Sure thing. Go set it up while I get the dishes."

"Okay!" Dugo rushed off to figure out his way around the game system, while Rin did the dishes. Soon, Rin finished and joined Dugo over in what was referring to as the 'living room' even though it was really just a section of the cave that a bug rug on it, a couch, and the TV.

"So, you figure it out yet?" Rin said, reclining on the couch as Dugo played around with the controller in his hands.

"I… think so…" He mumbled. A second after he said it, a giant logo of the game system appeared on the TV signaling that Dugo had set up the game correctly.

"Awesome! Ready to get you butt kicked at whatever were playing?"

"As if!" Dugo replied. Handing Rin a controller, Dugo took a seat next to Rin on the couch. Soon the two were playing a game that they had no idea how to play and were both failing. However, they were both having boatloads of fun. They played the mindless video game for hours, not even realising that time was flying by. They only realised what time it was when Dugo paused the game for a bathroom break. It was now 3:30! Roughly 4 and a half hours had gone by! When Dugo returned from the bathroom however, something unexpected happened. Just as he sat down to start playing the game again, the two heard a door opening followed by the sound of gun fire. Shortly afterwards they heard the door slam shut and David, yelling.

"RIN! DUGO! Draw a bath and heat it up to body temperature, NOW!" The two jumped to their feet, doing as told. The two ran into the hallway, making their way to the bathroom. On their way, they saw David covered in blood. However, it was not his own. In his arms he carried Emily, who was in terrible shape.

"The hell happened?" Rin asked, as he ran past going to do as instructed. David followed behind the two, carrying Emily.

"It's a long story…" David said. Rin felt his bloodlust flare up. He had completely forgotten he had even had one, it seemed that so much had happened, it slipped his mind. He imagined what she would look like if he just cut her open more. He licked his lips involuntarily at the thought. However, he swallowed hard and forced down the terrible thoughts. _'Emily is my friend, dammit! Stop thinking about crazy shit like that!'_ Quickly they entered the bathroom, Rin instantly drawing a bath. After a short while, he and Dugo heated it up lickedy split.

"Well, I'm all ears!" Rin said. Ignoring Rin for now, David set down Emily and ripped off her clothes, revealing several bullets wounds. The smell and sight of blood was becoming too much for Rin to handle, but he needed to stay in case David needed his help. After he had stripped Emily down to her underwear, David gently laid her into the water, causing the blood to mix with the water.

"We have to get the bullet's out. If we don't she might die."

"I told her not to go to work." Dugo whispered to himself. Rin didn't hear him because he too focused on keeping his bloodlust in check, but David heard him loud and clear. David looked behind him at Dugo and saw the boy's blank face. However, before he could act on the what the boy had said, Jacob came bursting through the door.

"I came as soon as I could!" He yelled, panting after he did so. He caught sight of Emily, but he did his best to remain calm. "You three, out! This is a very delicate process."

"Wait what are you going to do to her?" asked Rin, getting to his feet. However, David just grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the room, Dugo following silently behind them. After they exited the room, Rin asked again, "What's he going to do?"

"Well, as you know, Jacob is the son of Egyn, Demon King of Water. As such he has certain healing abilities if he can get access to water. He should be able to heal her, however, first he has to pull out the bullets." Rin's mind was going a million miles a minute and he was overloading with questions. However, one took precedence over all the others.

"So, what happened?" David walked over to the couch and took a seat catching his breath. His hands were still covered in blood, but Rin felt it easier to control himself without the rest of it. Taking in a deep breath, David told them the story.

* * *

**[ 30 Minutes Earlier ]**

_[ In Assiah, Shinjuku Mall]_

Emily worked at Mary's Mystery. It was a strange little clothing store located in the Shinjuku Mall. She didn't like or hate her job, it was just something she had to do for money. She worked 11:30-6 and got a lunch break at 3. When three o'clock rolled around, signalling her lunch break, Emily decided to go to the Mall's food court and get some chicken teriyaki. However, on her way there, she was pulled over by two mall cops.

"Hello, Miss. We need you to come with us."

"What? What for? I'm really sorry, but I only have half an hour for lunch and I'm STARVING. So, if you'll excuse me." She tried to squeeze her way past the men, but they didn't budge.

"Ma'am, please. Just come with us." Emily studied the two intently, but then realized something. They weren't like all the other mall cops. These ones didn't wear their badges on their shirts, and their uniforms were missing red stripe around the cuffs. These guys were imposters. That meant one of two things. They were either Satanists or…

"Exorcists." Emily said to herself. Quickly, she kicked the one man in the stomach, sending him flying, then went for punch on the other. However, the man saw the punch coming and grabbed the girls arm, twisting it behind her.

"Demon. You should've come quietly!" The man continued to twist Emily's arm painfully, but she slammed her head back against his, causing him to stumble. Luckily for Emily, not many people had noticed what was happening, so people were still walking around everywhere. She wrenched her arm free of the man's grip and took off running into the crowd. She rushed passed the bunches of people that were all walking around the mall, trying to lose the Exorcist. However, as she looked behind her to check for her purse, she bumped into David.

"David?! What are you doing here?"

"I came to have lunch with you. What's wrong? You seem nervous." However, before she could respond, gun shots were heard. They were pointed up at the ceiling, but it caused everyone but David and Emily to duck down onto the floor.

"That's what's wrong." Before Either David or Emily could do anything, the man shot round after round at the two of them. Seconds before he could react, Emily stepped in front of David and blocked all of the shots. She screamed out in pain, but then fell back onto David, unconscious. He stared at her, horrified for a few seconds, but heard the man reloading his gun. _'What the hell?'_ Everything seemed to happen so fast. He had just gotten there and met up with Emily and now she was bleeding to death, riddled with bullets. Scooping Emily up into his arms, he took off running in the opposite direction of the man. He was strong, but David was having a hard time hold Emily with one arm as he used the other to call up Jacob on his cell phone. The ringer rung twice before Jacob picked up. When he did, he didn't even get a chance to say 'Hello' before David yelled,

"JACOB! We have a situation! Get to the cave, Emily's hurt, bad!" Without waiting for his response, he closed the phone, shoving it back into his pocket. Next he fished out his key to the Cave and ran to the closest door. As he inserted the key however, he heard the man's footsteps behind him. David didn't even look behind him as he raised a shield of light that blocked the incoming bullets. _'If only I had thought to raise a shield before hand...I should've reacted faster!'_ David scolded himself. He stepped through the door, slamming it behind him. He called out,

"RIN! DUGO! Draw a bath and heat it up to body temperature, NOW!"

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Cave ]_

"And there you have it." Said David, finishing his story. "It all happened so fast and quickly… I didn't even have enough time to protect her." Rin stared at David sympathetically, but didn't try to get closer to comfort him because of the blood on his hands.

"Don't worry. Jacob can fix her up, right?" Rin said, trying to reassure him.

"Yea… It may be hard, but he'll help her. That's not what's bothering me though."

"And what's bothering you?" Rin asked.

"I couldn't protect her…" David said sadly. Rin could see the formation of tears in the man's eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Rin and Dugo sat there in silence, not knowing what to say in response. After a long time of sitting there, something dawned on David and he turned to Dugo, confusion on his face. However, in an instant that confusion changed to anger. Standing up, he rushed Dugo, grabbing his neck in a choke hold.

"YOU KNEW!" He screamed. "The hell did you do!?" Rin stared at what was happening, and leapt at David's arm, causing him to release Dugo. Dugo fell to the ground, coughing like crazy. Rin firmly set himself in between the two of them.

"David! What the heck man?"

"YOU KNOW SOMETHING!" David roaded, ignoring Rin.

"David, calm down. What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about this morning! That kid said specifically to Emily, that she shouldn't go to work! And what happened? Fucking exorcists pop up and shoot her!" Rin thought back to breakfast. '_He DID say that...'_ Turning around, Rin faced Dugo, who was clutching his throat coughing.

"Dugo?" Rin asked, calmly. "Did you know anything about what would happen with Emily?" The boy looked up at Rin, slowly nodding his head. At this David started to advance on Dugo, ready to pulverize him, but Rin held his hand up, holding him back. "And what exactly did you know?"

"I-I… I saw it. In my dream. I saw Emily walking in a mall. Then she got shot. A-And then… I don't remember. At breakfast I tried to tell her… but…" Dugo started crying, finally letting his held in emotions out. Rin crouched down and embraced the kid in a hug. Rin could feel as Dugo's tail wrapped around him, searching for comfort.

"That good enough for you, David?" Rin said, as he stroked the young boy's head trying to calm him.

"No, it's not. He said he saw it in his dream, but that doesn't make sense! He's the son of Iblis. How could he have seen a dream like that? No, he's lying!"

"B-But it's the truth!" Dugo wailed. David was shocked by the boy's outburst. He hadn't expected a reaction like that from being called a liar. That was the kind of reaction one gave when they were telling the truth, but nobody would believe them.

"Calm down, Dugo." Rin said. Directing his voice towards David, he continued, "David, he really isn't lying." Sighing, David came to the same conclusion.

"Well, then exactly HOW would the son of the Demon King of Fire, see a vision of the future?"

"If his mother was a half demon." The voice came unexpectedly, and turning their heads, the three boys saw Jacob walking up to them, his clothes, hands, and arms, drenched in blood.

Completely forgetting the current situation, David asked,

"How is she?"

"She's stable. I got the bullets out and did my best with the healing. The rest she's going to have to do on her own. So, Dugo had a vision of the future?" Grumpily, David said,

"Yea, it would appear so." After a short pause, he looked directly into Dugo's eyes and continued, "Sorry. For over-reacting." Quickly, David got up and left, presumably to go check on Emily.

"Sorry about David." Jacob said. "He can be really over protective sometimes. If he thinks you're a threat to our way of life, he'll kill you. Simple as that." Dugo just nodded his head, not knowing how to respond. "Anyway, Dugo, I'd like to ask you, who's your mother?" Reflexively a smile came to Dugo's face, as he told the familiar story.

"She burned in the house fire! Mommy's gone now!" Jacob looked the boy over, seeing his huge smile.

"I see. How interesting."

"What is?" Asked Rin, letting go of Dugo, seeing as he had calmed down.

"Dugo's been…. how should I put this… brainwashed? I don't really know what to call it, only that I've seen it so many time before. It's when one's mind is tampered with to react the same way, have the same thoughts, and show the same emotions, when one is asked a certain question or thinks a certain thought. In Dugo's case, he associates happiness and smiling with his dead mother."

"And why would that be?" asked Rin.

"Like I said, it's a brainwashing. If you parents died, wouldn't you want to go figure out how they died? Visit their grave? Pay your respect? Of course you would. However, Dugo doesn't. As soon as he thinks of his mother, his mind goes blank and he's just happy."

"I see. And how would someone do this? And why more importantly?"

"Well, in the cases I've seen only a child of the King of Time and Space could do this. I've seen a child of Azazel try, but it didn't work out so well."

"Wow-wow-wow-wow! Wait! Why a child of the King of Time and Space? How does that make any sense?"

"Well, think about it. When you think about something, neural pathways in your brain transfer the information all around, realising different chemicals. What the children of the King of Time and Space can do is manipulate these pathways and cause certain thoughts to activate different neural pathways than normal."

"Okay… I think I understand. So, why would someone do that to Dugo?"

"I believe it's because his mother is a child of the King of Time and Space." Rin looked behind him at Dugo, who wasn't paying attention. He was staring at the wall, lost in thought. _'I wonder how much of our conversation he's heard...'_

"Seriously?" Rin asked.

"Yes. It would explain the slight amount of time prediction powers, as well as his little brainwashing."

"Okay, suppose you're correct and his mother IS the child of the King of Time and Space. Why would a mother make her own child be happy about her death?"

"Maybe she faked her death? Or she just didn't want him to be sad if she were to die. Whatever the reason, it doesn't really matter, the effects are irreversible."

"What?! Really? Wouldn't that make the children of the King of Time and Space, like really dangerous?"

"Yes, but only if you have long-term exposure to one of them and their powers. It takes a few months to accomplish even the smallest brainwashing."

"I see… Hey, Jacob, you sure do know a lot about the King of Time and Space. Mind if I ask why?"

"It's a story for another day. Right now, we have to get Emily back on her feet." Rin nodded in response.

"Dugo!" Rin called, snapping Dugo back to the real world.

"Yea, Nii-san?"

"C'mon. Were going to check on Emily."

"Okay." Dugo replied plainly. The boy stood, not crying, not angry, not sad, he wasn't even happy anymore. He was completely and utterly indifferent. _'What the heck? A minute ago he was crying and now he's just… emotionless.'_ Rin stared at the boy and was about to say something about it, but dropped it. It didn't matter right now. He just wanted to make sure Emily was okay.

* * *

_[ ?, Hell's Carnival ]_

Yukio's punishment was severe. It wasn't really even a punishment, considering he did nothing wrong. So, if you want, it could be considered torture. Although, Sophie decided calling it punishment sounded more humane than torture. Then again, when did SHE care about being humane? After Yukio had mocked her for pointing out that the Moon Stone was a fake, Sophie had retrieved him and dragged him into the center of the Sun Stone. Afterwards, she lashed out at him with every fiber of her being, slashing, smacking, biting, and clawing at him. However, she made sure to avoid damaging any parts of the body that could cause Yukio fatal damage. She made sure to only go for his arms, legs, feet, hands, and lower chest area. She didn't want to mess with anything near his brain, heart or lungs, for fear of smashing me to pieces with her demon strength.

"You having fun yet?" Sophie asked, as she toyed with him. Yukio however, couldn't respond, his breath too heavy. Instead, he just thought,

_'I-I'm sorry… Please… stop...'_ Yukio was begging. BEGGING! This gave Sophie some minor thrills.

"The mighty Yukio Okumura, The youngest Exorcist, is begging! This is definitely a sight to savor!"

_'Please….'_ Was all Yukio could say mentally, before he passed out, the pain too much for his body to handle.

"Damn…" Sophie said, sighing. "And I was having so much fun too!" Making sure to kick Yukio's unconscious form one last time, Sophie made her way off the Sun Stone. Quickly she recited the encasement hymn, sealing Yukio in the light once more.

"Mason! Here! Now!" Instantly a man came bursting into the tent, having heard Sophie loud and clear.

"Yes, Ma'am?" He asked.

"I need you to arrange me some transportation. I need to get to Ryukyu Island."

"Of course, Sophie. May I inquire, Why?" Sophie sent him a death glare, but since he asked nicely, she let it slide.

"Fine. The Paladin, Fujimoto is going to be there in a few hours. There are no keys to the island, so I need faster transport than he has."

"And you know this how?" asked Mason, seeing the devilish grin on Sophie's face.

"I have my sources." She said, her voice very smug. "Now, off with you. I want to get to there before Fujimoto even steps foot on the island."

"Yes, Ma'am." Mason said with another bow, off to do as Sophie said. _'This whole 'fake Moon Stone' thing has put us behind schedule. I need some more pawns on my board before I can continue'_ Sophie quickly, and elegantly made her way to her Hall of Mirrors office, readying herself for her trip. _'Prepare yourself, Fujimoto.'_

**AN: Hope you enjoyed! PS: I've started a side project story. It's called Abandoned. Check out the description and if it's something you think you may like, check it out! Thanks for reading! You guys rock!**


	28. Chapter 28

**AN: AHAQHDIWJHSBCFLKJHSALKDH:KHJWCFW:FJIELHCLKJHWLKJHFCLKHGEGOUDWGYOLUICGBLWJGCHGCWLJKBCLJIWHGCOIBLKWHJBOIHGWFDLJHGLJKWGNCKJHBEOIGBCOIWBCLKJBCWOIHFOIJHNWCOIJHOIUWHFOIUHWFOIUGAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

**I HATE MYSELF! I'm updating less and less! I'm turning into one of those people who just updates once a YEAR D: D: D: D: D: D: D: D: I have decided to dedicate this Sunday and all coming Sundays to writing fanfiction. That way I have at least one day a week where I will update. On un-related news, if any of you are in the US, you may know that toonami (on cartoon network) has recently started playing blue exorcist on TV! YEA! But get this, THEY SHORTENED THE FUCKING OPENING AND CLOSING! WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE?! I'm really mad at that and felt the need to complain about it :D IF you want to watch it, it's on every Sunday morning at 1:30am EST (I just set a recording for it).**

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Cave ]_

As David and Dugo entered, they found David crouching down to Emily, checking to make sure she was breathing. She was currently floating in the water of the bath, the bullet holes closing before there eyes. Hearing the two enter, David said to them,

"Now that the bullets are out, her body she heal up fine." However, Rin didn't respond. He stood transfixed by the blood. There was significantly more blood now then when she had first arrived. It covered the floors, it filled the bathtub. It's scent was heavy in the air. It took all Rin had to bolt from the bathroom, running straight into his room, slamming the door behind him.

"The hell?" David said, turning soon enough to see Rin leaving. However, Dugo, having been told about Rin's little problem, covered for him.

"He's not good around blood."

"Really? Wow, never thought Rin would be afraid of blood." Dugo stood there for a moment, his gaze transfixed on Emily.

"She's fine. No need to crowd the room." Dugo said, acting very mature and still emotionless. As he went to leave the room, David called out to him,

"Hey, Dugo. I really am sorry. I was just… pissed, that's all." However, Dugo didn't respond, he just continued on his way, shutting the door quietly behind him. Walking down the hall he knocked on Rin's door.

"Nii-san? Are you okay?" However, Rin didn't respond, so Dugo entered the room. He found Rin huddled in the corner, his nails digging into his arms, as he clutched his his legs against his chest. Dugo's whole state of being changed in an instant. His blank faced, emotionless state faded away into his normal self. "Nii-san?" Dugo asked, entering the room a little.

"Shut the door!" Rin almost screamed. Dugo was shocked by the outburst but did as Rin asked. Slowly, he had his way over to Rin, sitting down when he got close.

"Nii-san, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?! Dugo, I've told you before!" Rin said loudly. He finished his statement in a whisper. "It's the bloodlust."

"Nii-san…" Dugo's voice was filled with concern. Rin had told him about it, but at the time they were under the pressure of escaping Sophie, but here, Rin had nowhere to go. Dugo scooted closer to Rin, sitting directly next to him, leaning on him and wrapping his tail around the teen's waist, trying to soothe him.

"I can still smell it from here… I-I… don't know how long I can take this. Everytime I close my eyes I see-" Rin choked on his words. He couldn't take it. He just wanted to go and give in.

"Calm down, Nii-san! Just listen to me, okay?" Dugo could tell Rin was shaking. It was taking a huge effort to hold himself back. Quickly, Dugo went on with his plan. Much to Rin's surprise, Dugo started to sing a strange song.

_"Quam sum supponitur scire,_

_Et quoniam vos esse perfectum_

_Meum corculum tuum crevit amor_

_Miraculum, ut mihi videtur."_ **(1)**

Rin could tell that the song was in a different language, but somehow he understood what he was saying. The small boy repeated the same verse, over and over, Rin listening all the while. He let the song drown out his thoughts. He paid close attention to the words, repeating them in his head so that his mind wouldn't wander. Eventually, after Dugo had sung it enough, Rin began to sing along, doing his best to get the words right in the foreign language. Dugo could feel Rin's shaking decrease and seese as they continued to sing, his plan was working. His song was calming Rin down or, at the very least, getting his mind off of the blood. They were singing the small song for, roughly, the 60th time, when David entered the room. He stared at the two, his brow raising in confusion.

"Sorry… Am I interrupting something?"

"No. No you're not." replied Rin, getting up from the floor.

"What language was that?" asked David, as he further entered the room.

"Does it matter?" asked Dugo, "You understood it, didn't you?"

"Well yea…" said David.

"Wait, you understood it?" asked Rin.

"Yea…? Didn't you?"

"Yes, but I thought it was just a fluke or something."

"Didn't anyone ever tell you?" Dugo said. "Demons can speak all languages. The native tongue for demons is Latin."

"I never knew that…" said Rin. "Anyway," Rin continued, changing the subject, "how's Emily doing?"

"She's fine. If you want you can go see her. Me and Jacob cleaned up all the blood." The statement shocked Rin.

"You know?" Rin asked.

"Yea, Dugo told us. Don't take this as me being mean, but I find it a little weird for a demon to be a afraid of blood." David said smiling. 'Oh. So Dugo lied for me. But seriously, AFRAID of blood? That's a little much..'

"Yea…" Rin said, awkwardly rubbing his head, going along with the lie, "A little is fine… but that was a little much…"

"Don't worry, you don't have to explain yourself to me. Anyway, I came in because…." David sighed. "I came in because me and Jacob are hungry." At this Rin laughed.

"When aren't you?!" After a short pause, Rin realised that it couldn't possibley be past 4:00, considering David returned with Emily around 3:30. "Hey, isn't it a littler early for dinner?"

"Yes, but neither me or Jacob had lunch, so an early dinner is in order!" Smiling, Rin followed David out of the room, Dugo trailing behind him. The three went to the kitchen/dining table where Jacob awaited them.

"So!" Rin said, clasping his hands together, "What do you guys want?" Rin watched as Dugo raised his hand, ready to ask for the same thing he had for breakfast. "And no, we aren't having pancakes for dinner!" In response, Dugo slowly lowered his hand.

"How about some pasta?" Offered Jacob. Rin nodded his head, thinking pasta was a great idea. As he cooked, the table was silent. Everyone was still a little shaken up from what had happened to Emily. After cooking, serving, eating, and cleaning up dinner, everyone at the table went off to their business. Dugo and Rin went to play video games, trying to get their minds off of the days events, David went to go watch Emily, making sure nothing unexpected happened to her, and Jacob decided to go out for a walk. Needless to say, everybody was anxious for the rest of the day.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, Ryukyu Island ]_

Fujimoto arrived at the location of his mission after a long 4 hour journey from the monastery to Ryukyu Island. He had to use a key to get to the southern tip of Japan. However, the most southern portal there was a key two was 140 miles from shore. So, he had to first endure an agonizing 2 hours car ride with a cab driver who wouldn't shut up about her many cats. Afterwards, he had to climb aboard a boat that sailed him to Ryukyu Island, taking up another two hours of his time. '_This is so pointless! Of all the people they could've sent to do this job, they deliberately chose me.'_

Fujimoto was less than enthusiastic about his current predicament. I took away from time that he could be spending on finding Rin and Yukio. Even though Rin was now an enemy of the Order, he was still Fujimoto's son, so he wasn't going to give up on him. Soon after the boat had come ashore to Ryukyu Island, Fujimoto briskly made his way to a nearby bicycle shop. Because Ryukyu Island was located off the southern tip of Japan, it had great, warm weather, making it an excellent vacation spot. Therefore, it attracted tourists, making it the perfect place to set up a bike rental shop. Even though he was getting older and becoming more frail, Fujimoto still was fit enough to pedal a bicycle. After renting a bike and getting directions to the shrine he was supposed to perform the exorcism at, Fujimoto was on his way.

It took him roughly 15 minutes by bike, but soon he came up by long, winding staircase that led up onto a hill. Leaving the bike at the base of the staircase, Fujimoto slowly made his way up the staircase, drawing his shotgun as he did so. He was instructed to do his best to keep the shrine in tact by using his knowledge as an Aria, but he was allowed to use his Dragoon skills if necessary. As he approached the top, Fujimoto was expecting to see 3-4 high level demons with loads of mid and low level demons assisting them. However, what he found shocked him. The Shrine was baren. There were no demons anywhere. He couldn't see any, he couldn't hear any. Either way, he still conducted a thorough search of shrine. He processed slowly, checking every square inch of the place and even some of the surrounding words, but came up empty handed. He was about to leave, when he saw someone standing at the top of the staircase that lead there.

"You SOOOO owe me!" Sophie started making her way towards to Fujimoto, but he raised his gun, stopping her in her tracks.

"Why the hell are you here?" Fujimoto said, gritting his teeth.

"WOW! Are all of you so bad mannered? I see why your sons are so impolite!" Fujimoto stared down the girl, stepping closer.

"What did you do to Yukio?!"

"I see you're not going to thank me for clearing out the demons here, and let me tell you, it took awhile! Anyway, as to your son, I-" She was about to tell Fujimoto something, but decided against it. "I'm not going to tell you!" She taunted. "You not nice enough to know! And to think I came all the way out here to invite you to join me!"

"Join you?" Said Fujimoto. "HA! Don't make me laugh. You are a disgraceful little Satanist. Why would I ever join your side?"

"Because Yukio's life depends on it." Fujimoto's eyes grew wide in fear. '_What is this girl planning?'_ Fujimoto thought. _'I very well can't join her, but Yukio...'_ Sophie could tell Fujimoto was conflicted, but she interrupted his thoughts.

"Stop staring at me like that! I'll give your son back, but you have to do something for me!" Fujimoto's eyebrow raised in question.

"What do you want?" he asked, his gun still aimed at the girl. Sophie's grin widened, knowing Fujimoto would do whatever it took to retrieve his captured son.

"Come now! Don't be so dreadful with me! I saved you the trouble of looking for him didn't I? Anyway! I need you to find the Moon Stone."

"The Moon Stone? What's that?"

"Least HE actually ASKS questions…" muttered Sophie, remembering her conversations. Speaking louder, Sophie continued, "You don't need to know what it is, you just need to find it and bring it here."

"Okay." said Fujimoto nodding, "How do I find it?" Sophie sighed, replying,

"Isn't that the age old question. I have no clue where it is, but I know who hid it." Sophie tossed a photo at Fujimoto, it soaring in the air like a frisbee. Fujimoto let go off his shotgun with his left hand, catching the photo with his, now free, hand. However, he made sure to keep his shotgun aimed at her with his right hand. Staring at the picture, Fujimoto saw a man with short blond hair, and golden eyes. He seemed to be around 18-19 and he looked very kind.

"His name is David." said Sophie. "He stole the stone from me awhile ago, and I want it back." Reluctantly, Fujimoto said,

"Fine. I'll do it."

"Great!" Sophie began to walked down the stairs, but Fujimoto called out to her.

"How am I supposed to find him if I don't know his last name or where he lives?!"

"Don't worry! I'm having a file on him sent to your house!" Without another word, Sophie was gone, leaving an angry Fujimoto behind.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Cave ]_

It was surprising how fast Emily had healed. Combined with Emily's demon blood and Jacob's healing technique, Emily was up and walking, well more limping than walking, around in just 5 hours. When she had woken, she was more concerned about being her underwear than about her injuries. She refused to talk to anyone until she was out of the bath and clothed. Currently, the five of them were all sitting around the table, eating 'Get well soon' ice cream, as Rin put it. Dugo, however, didn't have ice cream, and instead was having some peppers.

"I'm so glad you're okay." said David, his mouth full of ice cream.

"Don't talk with you mouth full!" Emily said, giggling. "And it was because of you and Jacob that I'm okay." She smiled at him. Turning, she saw Dugo, who was staring down, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

"Dugo? What's wrong?" She asked, noticing his moppy mood.

"I knew… I knew you would get shot…. and I just didn't tell you…" his voice was barely a whisper, tears forming at his face.

"Ohhh! Calm down Dugo! It's okay. Really, I'm fine now, so lets just put it behind us." Dugo just nodded at her, smiling at her forgiveness.

"So… now what?" asked Rin, having finished his ice cream.

"I'm not sure…" said David, "What do you guys want to do?"

"I don't know," replied Jacob, "It's pretty late, so we can't go out to do anything, plus it wouldn't be that safe knowing they came after Emily."

"That reminds me." Emily said, speaking up. "Why did they come after me anyway? And how'd they know?"

"Something makes me think that they weren't exorcists." said Rin.

"And way is that?" asked David.

"Well, think about it. An exorcist would have no way of knowing that Emily was a half demon. Plus, exorcists have a tighter grip on society than you think. If they wanted Emily, they could have easily had the boss of her store call a staff meeting or something, and lure her away into the back of the store. Instead, these guys attacked in the middle of the mall. That doesn't seem like something the Order would do."

"Then who would it be?" countered Jacob. "If it were the Satanists, they most likely would've used tranq darts or just tried to talk to her first."

"I think it may have been Radicals."

"Radicals?" asked Dugo.

"Yea," said Emily, launching into an explanation. "There people who can see demons, because they have a temptaint, and take it upon themselves to kill them."

"But that doesn't answer the question, HOW did they know Emily was a demon?" inquired David.

"Emily, did you EVER use your powers out in public?" Jacob asked.

"No I did-" She began, but then she cut herself short. "FUCK!" She roared. With a quick look at Dugo she said, "Sorry. Anyway, I just remembered, I did. But before you give me that whole 'what were you thinking' speech, it was an emergency!"

"And what was this, emergency?" asked David.

"Well… Sarah was being a little… witch with a B…. and I… kinda made some clothing racks fall on her." Rin found what she was saying funny, and couldn't help but laugh. However, neither Jacob or David seemed to think the same.

"Who's Sarah?" Rin asked between his fits of laughter.

"She's Emily's boss. If you didn't hear her when she was coming home yesterday, the two don't really like each other." Jacob filled in.

"Okay, first, getting back at your boss is not an emergency, and second, that little use of powers couldn't possibly have revealed yourself."

"So how'd they know?" asked Emily. However, nobody had an answer to her question.

"Well, there's no point dwelling on it." said Rin. "We have very little to go off of, so, I suggest that we just give it a rest for the night. You guys wanna watch a movie or something?"

"Yea, a movie sounds nice." said Emily. Together, they all made their way to the living room, except Rin, who decided to make some popcorn.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]_

Thankfully, Fujimoto didn't have to go on another lengthy journey home. His keys worked just fine on getting him home. It was surprising to him. Sophie had said she would send a file over, but it had barely been 10 minutes since their conversation and the file had been on the monastery's front step when Fujimoto returned. He took it, making sure that none of the other priests saw it, and went into his office to read through it. The boy's full name was David Thomas Rick. He had lived in the states until he was sixteen, but then moved to England, and then to Japan. Currently, his residence was unknown, but he was recently spotted in a shooting at Shinjuku Mall. '_Shinjuku Mall….. where is that again?'_ Fujimoto did a google search, which took him awhile, of the mall. Quickly, multiple reports came up about the recent shootings and Fujimoto began to read through them. Apparently, two assailants had shot at a girl and a boy, the girl getting shot rather badly. The shooters weren't captured and are still at large. On the website he was on, there was a video of someone who had taken there phone out and recorded the incident. The camera angle was from the ground up, meaning the person filming was down on the ground. It showed a man, dressed as mall security, was shooting a gun upwards, causing everyone to duck down for cover, except two people. Fujimoto instantly recognized David from the picture Sophie had given him, but had no clue who the girl was. As the video progressed, Fujimoto saw the girl get shot. Afterwards, David picked her up and started running. After David had turned a corner, the video ended. '_Interesting. Well, one things for certain, I'm going to need to go to that mall.'_ Continuing on with searching, Fujimoto soon found the location of the mall, and realized that he had a key that lead to a few blocks away. He immediately grabbed the bag of supplies that he had taken with him to Ryukyu Island and was on his way. '_Everyone will probably think I'm still on my mission. They shouldn't be expecting me back for another half hour or so.'_

It didn't take long, until Fujimoto arrived at the mall. The whole place was closed off, caution tape everywhere. Fujimoto didn't think that the shooting had been THAT recent. After asking bystander, apparently it had only happened an hour ago. Reluctantly, Fujimoto couldn't search for any signs of this David person, but he planned to return to the mall. He WOULD find David and he WOULD get Yukio back, no matter what.

* * *

**[ The Next Day ]**

_[ In Assiah, The Cave ]_

Breakfast was normal. Everybody was talking and smiling and eating Rin's french toast. Emily seemed to be completely healed now, almost as if nothing had happened. The only thing that gave her away were the bandages and the slight limp in her walk. In the middle of their meal, however, Emily's eyes widened and she practically shouted,

"Oh my gosh!" David, who was sitting in the chair next to Emily, jumped out of his seat from the sudden noise.

"What is it?" asked Rin, laughing at David's reaction.

"My job! Ughhh I can't go back there! Nobody makes THIS kind of speedy recovery after being shot, what was it? Six times?"

"Don't forget the part where you were carried away by David and never checked into a hospital. You're going to be presumed dead."

"Great….." said Emily, her normally happy mood dampened by her realization.

"Well, you can hang out with me and Dugo!" said Rin, grinning.

"But what about the money? We had enough for food with me and Jacob working, but now that there five of us and Jacob being the only one who has a job, I'm not sure if Jacob's job makes enough money to support all of us."

"What about me? I could get a job." offered Rin.

"Wow, you really are dense. The Order is still looking for you Rin. If you apply for a job, someone's going to find out because you will registered into a system."

"But what if I use a fake name?" Rin countered.

"Still, what if someone see's you? Every Exorcist on the planet probably knows your face. You are there number one target."

"Fine…" said Rin, defeated.

"What about you, David?" said Dugo. "You said you didn't have a job. Why don't you get one?" At this David got all tense and stuttered,

"Uhh O-On second thought, let's let Rin get a job."

"Seriously?!" asked Rin, surprised at the statement. However, Emily stepped in.

"No. You said it yourself, David. Rin's too high of a priority. Maybe in a few months when they calm down and see that he's not out to kill anyone, but currently, they'd kill him on sight. Looks like you're the one who has to get a job after all!"

"I thought you might say that." said David, his head hanging in defeat.

"Well I'm sorry! I can't really work any more, now can I? My name's probably all over the new. My boss or one of my co-workers probably saw it happen and told someone it was me." Sighing, David said,

"I know. I know. I just really hate working! It's so boring!"

"Tough!" said Emily. "You're going to apply for one today, you hear me?"

"Alright! Alright! Who are you, my mom?"

"So!" said Rin, changing the subject. "What are we going to do today?"

"Can we go to the park?" asked Dugo, remembering what David had said yesterday.

"Ummm…." said David, thinking it through, but before he could answer Emily replied,

"Sure! I'll come with! We can all go."

"Well I can't." Jacob commented. "I kinda ran off yesterday during work. It shouldn't be too big of a deal, but I need to explain that it was a family emergency."

"Oh yea! I forgot it was a Friday. It feels more like a Saturday." Quickly checking the clock, Jacob got up and put his plate in the sink. He said his goodbyes, then departed for work.

"Are you sure about this Emily?" David asked, referring to going to park.

"Of course I am! Rin can keep his flames concealed now and these two have been cooped up here for the past two days. They need some fresh air and sunlight."

"Fine. But I'm coming too. I can apply for a job later today or tomorrow."

"Okay, that's fine by me." She turned to face Dugo and Rin who were sitting across from her. "So, when do you guys want to go?"

"I don't know." said Rin, "Now?" Emily checked the clock and saw it was 10:30am.

"Uhh, Okay. Let's go then." Together, the four of them walked over to the laundry room and, using a key, David opened the door to the park.

* * *

**(1) Anyway know what language this is in? If you took or take this language class, you are an awesome person! PS: I kinda gave away the answer literately right afterwards :P**

**ONCE AGAIN! I'm sorry for the late updating D: But expect one every Sunday and normally one sometime in the week! Thanks for reading!**


	29. Chapter 29

**AN: I AM THE WORST! THERE WASN'T A SINGLE UPDATE OVER THE COURSE OF THE WEEK! AND THIS ONE IS SHORT! I told myself I HAD to get one up NOW and then when Sunday comes around, put up another one. I'm so sorry everyone! I need to update more! D:**

* * *

_[ In Assiah, Central Park ] _

As Rin and Dugo stepped into the sunlight, they relished in it. It had been roughly two days since they had been out of the cave, but that was still long enough to make them miss the sun. The park was mostly empty, but there were some people walking by, some joggers and two children with their parents. Looking around, Rin saw that the park was huge. There were some swings, a jungle gym, some slides, foursquare, a volleyball net, and even some small shacks that sold food and drinks. Rin quickly looked behind him and saw that they had all stepped out the front door of a 'Service Center'.

"Wow. Where are we? I've never been to this park before." said Rin.

"Really? Wow, you must not get out much! This is Central Park. Well, a re-creation of it anyway. Central Park is a park located in the town of New York City in the US. Japan decided to make their own version of it, copying the main layout. This is one of the 21 areas made especially for kids." replied David. Rin was about to yell at him, asking if he was implying that Rin was a kid, but Dugo spoke up before he could say anything.

"Nii-san!" said Dugo, practically squealing. "Look! They have swings!" He swiveled on his feet so that he was facing Rin. "Can we go on them?!" Chuckling, Rin replied,

"Of course! I'll race ya!" Rin got down into a running position and Dugo mimicked him, accepting his challenge. "Okay, you ready? 3…. 2…." "

Stop!" interrupted Emily.

"What!?" complained Rin.

"Tuck in you tails idiots! You can't just leave them out like you do back in the cave."

"Why?" asked Dugo innocently, as he and Rin did as they were told, concealing their tails.

"Incase an exorcist walks by. It'll be sure to grab their attention."

"Got it! Now, can we go?" asked Rin, anxious to run around.

"Be my guest." said Emily, motioning towards the park. Dugo and Rin returned to their running positions and, after Rin counted down to zero, they took off. Once they were safely out of earshot, David spoke up,

"Em, do you think it's safe to let them be here?"

"Yea, it'll be fine. We're both here in case something goes down. Those exorcists can't take on all of us, ya know."

"But you're injured!"

"Injury, shminjury. I'm fine! Now come on, we shouldn't be too far off from them, we need to keep an eye on them." Looking over the two of them saw Rin and Dugo swinging on the swings, competing to see who could get higher. Currently, they were both going as high a the swings would let them, and were contemplating flipping over the metal bar they swung from. Watching them, David sighed.

"I don't know him that well, but Rin seems more childish than I first interpreted."

"Nah, I think he's just having fun. Which, now that I think about it, we should be having too. Come on! Let's go swing on the swings with them." Even though she was limping, Emily started making her way to the swings.

"What? No! I'm not going to play on some dumb swings. I'm just here to watch over Rin and Dugo and make sure nothing happens to them."

"Uh huh. Sure. Let me know how that goes!" Emily said, sarcastically, as she walked off to join Rin and Dugo. After a short time, David followed her, taking the swing next to her. After a few hours of jumping from one thing in the park to the next, the four half-demons quickly became tired. The last thing they did was use their super strength to spin the merry-go-round **(1)** as fast as possible and see who could stay on the longest. Surprisingly, it was Dugo. Soon afterwards, the four walking, smiling and giggling, to one of the small 'snack shacks' and bought some bottled waters. They also purchased a snack each, except for Dugo, who didn't think anything they had would be spicy enough.

"This is an amazing pretzel!" said David, biting into the soft bread pretzel he had ordered. "

Not as good as this smoothie!" said Emily, rubbing it in David's face.

"You guys are so childish!" Rin commented, watching the two gloat about their snacks.

"Whatever!" Emily said, punching Rin in the arm as she did so. "Let's just go find a table and sit down. I'm tired!" The group nodded in agreement. It was already 2pm, and they had been running, jumping, and playing the whole time. As they walked, Rin noticed that the visitors of the park had significantly increased since 11am, with kids running around everywhere. The four quickly made their way to a nearby table and sat down, most of them drinking their waters.

"Damn, it's hot!" Rin exclaimed.

"Rin!" Emily said, smacking his hand.

"What?" She pointed at Dugo.

"Oh, sorry."

"Anyway!" Emily said, changing the subject, "What do you guys want to do next? There's the climbing tower, foursquare, and OOH! We haven't done the monkey bars yet!"

"I swear, you really are a kid!" Rin said, laughing.

"Oh shut up! It's not my fault I like parks!"

"Sure, Sure! Whatever floats your boat!"

"I like monkey bars!" said Dugo, slamming his fist on the table, a smile on his face. Chuckling, David replied,

"Okay! Okay! Monkeybars it is!" After they finished up with their refreshments, the four slowly made their way to the monkeybars, swerving in and out of the children, and their parents, that were running around. As they walked, David had a hushed conversation with Emily, that only they could hear.

"So, do you think anyone noticed us from the news?" he asked, whispering. "

Nah, I think we're fine. What I'm more worried about are the exorcists. With Rin on the kill list, they probably told tons of exorcists his mantra. He and Dugo with be practically defenseless if one shows up."

"Well that's why we're here. We need Rin if we want to put a stop to Sophie's plans. Hopefully he can break the Moon Stone."

"Do you think he can ever do it? You yourself have tried it hundreds of times! And currently, in his current state, Rin isn't nearly as strong as you. He may be able to control his flames, but their not at their fullest potential yet."

"I think he can do it, but it will take time and proper training. Plus, he IS the son of Satan. If anyone in Assiah has enough strength to break it, it's him."

"What about the demon kings?" asked Emily. "There plenty powerful. Shouldn't they be able to break it?"

"I've thought the same thing, but first, what demon king would want to help us, and second, it was a demon king who created it, so they probably took precautionary measures to make sure other kings didn't destroy it."

"Wait a minute. You told me that it was made by Leonardo DaVinci!" exclaimed Emily in surprise.

"What? I didn't tell you? Sorry. When I was doing my monthly attempt at breaking it two weeks ago, I discovered something on the surface that wasn't there before. It was just a strange insignia. I had no idea what it was, but it looked kinda like a demon wielding a scythe. Anyway, I dug into some research and it turns out that it's believed that each demon king has their own insignia or symbol. None have been confirmed or assigned to the kings, but the one on the Moon Stone matched one of the ones on the list. While DaVinci designed the stone, he used to the power of a demon king to do it." Emily stared at him, a look of pure rage across her face.

"And when were you planning on telling us this?!" "

I-I don't know. It kinda slipped my mind…" David said, rubbing his head as he did so. As they reached the monkey bars, Emily cut off the conversation. "You are going to explain everything later," Emily said in a stern voice.

"For now, let's just enjoy ourselves."

"Okay…" David responded. Stopping his whispering David spoke up so that Rin and Dugo could hear him. "Bet I can get across faster than you two!" Running past the two of them, David jumped onto the monkey bars, swinging from one to another.

"Hey! No fair! You got a head start!" complained Rin, hoisting himself up onto the bars, chasing after David. Dugo was next, followed by Emily, who had a huge, gleeful smile on her face. The four of them went back and forth swinging on the monkey bars, for awhile, until Rin and David got into an argument about who went across faster. "No way man! I did way faster than you!" Rin said, raising his fist in a threatening manner.

"Ha! Yea right! You were wayyyy slower than me! It's not even close!" David replied, his arms crossed across his chest.

"Why don't you guys just time it? Rin can go first, I'll count how long it takes. Then David will go, and I'll count his time. Whoever has the better time wins." offered Emily.

"I'll accept that." said David. "

Yea, fine, whatever." replied Rin, as he took his place at the beginning of the monkey bars.

"Okay! You'll go when I say 'Go', got it?" "

Yea yea! Just count down already!" Rin said.

"3...2...1… GO!" As soon as she said the word, Rin took off, swinging from bar to bar, going as fast as he could physically go. As he did so, Emily counted his time in her head. He was able to make it across the long, winding set of bars in 4 seconds flat. When he finished, Emily called out to him,

"4 seconds! Nice going!"

"Nice Nii-san! You were really fast!" Dugo yelled.

"You thought that was fast?" asked David. "Well watch this!" he said, as he lined up at the start of the monkey bars. "Countdown, Emily!"

"Hey! Don't tell me what to do!" She yelled, but did as he asked. "3...2...1… GO!" Rin, Emily, and Dugo watched as David swung across, taking two bars at a time. Although, Rin noticed his speed wasn't as fast. Quickly, David landed next to him, at the end of the monkey bars.

"6 seconds! Turns out Rin really was faster!" Emily said, as she and Dugo walked over to the two.

"What?!" David said. "No way! That's total bull sh-taki mushrooms." David was about to say a more vulgar word, but realised Dugo was with them and they were out in public.

"Ha! What's that?" mocked Rin, sticking his tongue out like a child.

"Hey! Screw you!" David countered, but Rin just laughed at him. As the four of them talked and laughed by the monkey bars, what none of them noticed, was a nearby priest talking on a cell phone in a hushed tone.

"Fujimoto?! It's Rin! He's in the re-creation of Central Park! Hurry!"

* * *

_[ In Assiah, Central Park ]_

Fujimoto got the call just as he was about to go out in search of David, so that he could question him. However, once Nagatomo said Rin's name and a location, Fujimoto had his keys out searching for the one he KNEW was connected to Central Park. Once he found it, he inserted the key, and threw open the door, hurrying into the park. Still on the phone with Nagatomo, Fujimoto said,

"Where is he?"

"He's over by the monkey bars. He's with Dugo and two others. I don't know who they are, but Rin seems fine around them."

"Does he still has the tail binding on?"

"I can't tell. He's tucked in his tail for once."

"Thank you Nagatomo. I see him now. I'm going in." Fujimoto ended the call without waiting for a response. However, as he started to draw closer, he began to make out the two people standing next to him and Dugo. It was David and the girl from the news story. 'What the hell is Rin doing with them?' Quickly, Fujimoto made his way to the group, and when he was 10 feet away, he called out to Rin.

"Rin!" It caused all four of them to snap out of their conversation and look to Fujimoto.

"Dad!" Rin went to go to Fujimoto, about to embrace him in a hug, but David held him back.

"No Rin. Stay back."

"What? Why? He's my old man, get out of the way!" Rin tried to force himself past David, but David easily held him back.

"He might be your old man, but he's an exorcist all the same. He knows the mantra and you're on their to kill list Rin. I'm sorry. Emily, get Rin and Dugo out of here." Rin briefly wondered how David knew he was an exorcist, but Fujimoto's outfit and pin kind of gave it away. Emily gripped Rin's arm and went to take him away, but Fujimoto spoke up again.

"Rin, don't listen to them. I'm not going to kill you!"

"Rin, he's lying. He's just a filthy exorcist." David said. Rin was conflicted. He trusted David a lot, considering he saved him from Sophie, but at the same time he trusted Fujimoto, because he was his father.

"I just want to protect you Rin!" Fujimoto yelled.

"If thats true, then you should let him come with us. We can protect him far better than you can." said Emily, speaking up.

"David, just let Rin come back with me. He's my son, I will protect him." David stared cold eyes at the priest, his eyebrow raising in question.

"Nobody here ever said my name. How do you know it?" Even Rin questioned this. It was a fair point. Fujimoto just stared at them, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"Old man? Answer his question." said Rin, hopping

"I can explain everything, but for now, Rin and Dugo, just come with me."

"Like hell they're going with you!" David yelled.

"Emily, seriously, get Rin and Dugo out of here." Emily started to drag Rin away, and this time he didn't struggle. He just kept staring baffled at Fujimoto. _'How did he know David's name? And why was he being so mysterious?'_ Rin thought. Fujimoto watched as Rin was taken away, and he went to stop Emily, but when he moved, David growled at him,

"Don't move. You have some explaining to do."

"Where is she taking Rin?"

"Somewhere save. Now, tell me, how do you know my name?" Fujimoto stared at the young man. He decided it would be better to not answer his question.

"I'm not going to answer you until you give me back my son."

"Rin is much safer with us then he is with you. Sophie has no idea where we live." Fujimoto stared angrily at the young man, but realized he may be right. With Sophie now having a key to the monastery, it wouldn't be safe anymore. He could take Rin to the warehouse, but he didn't want to deactivate the barrier that is set up around the place. The only other way for Rin to get in, besides deactivating the barrier, would be to use a key, but he loaned his key to the warehouse to Izumi. Sighing, Fujimoto gave up. However, since he couldn't get Rin back, he was determined to get Yukio back.

"Fine. Keep Rin and Dugo with you. Please, make sure they stay safe. On an unrelated note," suddenly Fujimoto's voice turned harsh and cruel as he finished his question, "where's the Moon Stone, David?" "

The Moon Stone? You're after the Moon Stone?"

"Yes. Now, where did you hide it." Without even noticing him having done it, David saw Fujimoto had raised his shotgun and had it aimed straight at his chest. David knew he could block the priests bullets, but they were in a public place, so he didn't want to use his powers. '_Wait a minute! He has a gun and NOBODY has seen it and run away panicking?!'_ Finally, David spoke up,

"I'm not telling you. I stole that stone from Sophie and I-" David cut himself off, as something suddenly clicked in his brain and he got very defensive. "Wait a minute… Only one person knows I have the stone. And that would be Sophie." David said, backing away. "You're a Satanist."

"What? No, I'm not!"

"Yea you are. Nobody else would know that I have it. Tell your leader that I'm not giving up the Moon Stone, ever." Sighing, David continued, "It's going to crush Rin to find out his dad is a Satanist."

"But, I'm not a Satanist!" Fujimoto said, but it was too late. Bending the light around him, David became invisible and fled the scene.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Cave ]_

Rin and Dugo returned with Emily as instructed. Rin, however, was very shaken up. He hadn't seen his dad in, what felt like ages, and now he sees him, randomly, at the park. However, David didn't seem to think he was trustworthy. Rin didn't say a word as he sat down on the couch and lost himself in his thoughts. _'This just has to be a misunderstanding. My old man wouldn't hurt me… right? David seemed to think so… And how did he know David's name?'_ Rin was too far lost in his though to notice as Dugo sat next to him, revealing his tail, and wrapping it around Rin's waist to comfort him. It wasn't long, however, before David returned, coming out of the bedroom hallway. Instantly, Rin got up and rushed to him, asking,

"What happened? What did my dad say?" David was about to ask how Rin knew he and Fujimoto had had a conversation, but it was easy to assume that that is what happened, considering that he had been gone for a little while longer than the others.

"Rin, you might want to sit down." Rin, nevertheless, remained standing. Urgently, he said,

"What do you mean?" Sighing, David said,

"I'm sorry Rin, but… Your dad… he's… a Satanist."

"What?" Rin stared at him in disbelief. He trusted David, so he wanted to believe that statement, but it was so hard to considering what is was. When David didn't respond to his question, Rin continued, "No. No, your wrong. H-He can't be…"

"I'm sorry but he is. It would explain how he knows my name. Plus he confirmed it when he asked about the Moon Stone, during our conversation. Only Sophie and the five of us who live here know that I have it. Sophie must've told him and why would she do that if he didn't work for her?" Rin took in the words but didn't seem to be able comprehend them. Rin's mind boggled, struggling to grasp the concept. _'The old man… a Satanist…?'_ Rin looked up to David and asked,

"If he really is a Satanist, how come he didn't use the mantra?"

"Probably to gain your trust? Plus he probably does care about you, you are his son, after all. But he is not to be trusted Rin, I'm sorry." Rin stared at David with a crushed look on his face. Rin looked like his whole world had just come crumbling down.

"I-I… I think I just need some time to myself…." Slowly, Rin past David and made his way to his room. Once inside, he hopped into bed and slumped under the covers. Rin heard a knocking at the door, but didn't respond to it. He didn't really care about it right now. Soon, after he refused to answer after 3 polite knocks, Dugo entered his room.

"Nii-san? Are you okay?"

"I don't know, Dugo. I don't know…" Dugo made his way over to Rin and climbed into bed with him, wanting to try and calm the half-demon teen. The two of them laid there in silence while Rin racked his brain, trying to figure out how Fujimoto could be a Satanist. After a while, Rin fell asleep, getting away from the reality of his world.

* * *

**AN: HEY EVERYONE! ONCE AGAIN REALLY SORRY FOR THIS BEING A SHORT UPDATE AND FOR IT BEING A WHILE SINCE THE LAST ONE! ITS SHORT CAUSE ITS 3:30AM AND ITS LATE BECAUSE I'VE HAD WRITERS BLOCK D: SRRY! It's short by like 400 words D:**

**(1) Also called a roundabout. It is NOT one of the giant electric ones that have horses and tigers and stuff to ride on. Look up what a roundabout is if you don't know what I'm talking about.**


	30. Chapter 30

**AN: HEY ALL! It's Sunday! I promised I'd post :P Although, I feel bad if anyone constantly checked throughout the day. Of course my family had to choose TODAY to go out to eat dinner -_- So, I could only write half a chapter before then and when we got back from dinner my sister had to use it for hw -_- Anyway, At least now I'm posting it. Hope you like it!**

* * *

_[ ?, Hell's Carnival ] _

Sophie was staring at herself in the many mirrors that were positioned around her. She stared at herself, gazing into her own eyes, trying to figure out how she was feeling. Currently her emotions were conflicted. She didn't know if she was happy, because now it was Fujimoto's job to find her the moon stone, or angry that she wouldn't be the one to steal it from David. Sighing, Sophie reclined into her chair, trying to relax. She might not of know how to feel about her situation, but what she knew was that she was very stressed. Recently, some of her cult members have been becoming antsy. She had to kill off 4 of them in the past three days. She was starting to lose them and feared that they all may just leave.

_'Ughh… What the heck am I gonna do?'_ Sophie laid her head down on her desk, sighing again. _'Well, I guess I can just go rub everything in Yukio's face.'_ She contemplated the thought for a little bit, then decided, _'Yea, I'll do that.'_, a smile coming to her face. Sophie playful pushed her chair away from her desk causing her to spin around. She giggled uncontrollably as she did so, finding the activity to be childishly fun. She lept from the still spinning chair, landing on the floor. She held her arms out wide as if she were addressing an audience and had just done something rather spectacular. Afterwards, she brushed off the skirt she was wearing, pretending it was covered in dust and dirt. Next she curtsied to herself in the mirror. After she thought her imaginary audience had applauded her enough for her daring jump from the chair, she proceeded to make her way to the main tent. On her way, she encountered a large number of her cult members, many of which were just bored.

"Miss Sophie, what should we do?" asked one, trying to find something to do.

"If you want, you can go and lure a few normal mortals here. We need some more blood to prepare for an upcoming ceremony."

"Yes," the man said, bowing. "Right away!" Sophie handed him a key to get back here and happily, he jogged off, ready to do as his leader commanded. Of course, it was only a lie. Sophie didn't need any blood to bring about the Dawning, she just needed the Moon Stone. The lie was only to preoccupy the man, to keep him from getting anxious. 'Maybe I should hunt down another half-demon, just to give the members something to do.' Quickly, Sophie continued on to the main tent, but was once again stopped by another cult member. This one was a female.

"Miss Sophie! Do you need anything? Can I get you something?" Sophie stared at the woman for a moment. She had momentarily forgotten how much these people worshipped her because of her lineage.

"No, I'm fine. However, if you want, you can go and buy some more groceries. Mason told me that were running low."

"Ah yes we are."

"By the way, out of our 200 members, how many are staying with us here?" Sophie asked, wanting a head count. She also wanted to give the woman an insight on how much groceries to buy.

"Roughly 43, including yourself."

"Great," Sophie said, handing her a key. "then go buy the groceries."

"Where do I get the money?" The woman asked. However, catching Sophie's growing anger, the woman added, "Ma'am?" Sophie stared at the woman spitefully, but at the word 'Ma'am', she eased up, slightly.

"I don't know and I don't care. Mug someone if you have to." Sophie said, waving her off. With a bow, the woman scurried off, going to buy the groceries. _'Why must I keep getting interrupted? I just want to go mock Yukio! Is that too much to ask?'_ Quickening her pace, Sophie finally made it to the main tent where Yukio was held by the Sun Stone. Yukio was laying on the Sun Stone, were Sophie had left him unconscious. However, he had sense woken up and was gazing towards the ceiling.

"HEY YUKIOOOO!" she yelled loudly. Sophie could practically hear Yukio's sigh, as he said,

_'Hi Sophie. What brings you hear.'_ Sophie stared at the boy, noticing that he was willing to entertain her with conversation if it meant that he wouldn't get hurt.

"I just came to say hello! Does there have to be a rhyme or reason?"

_'With you, there always is.'_

"Yea, your right!" She said, giggling. "Well I wanted to let ya know, that your dad's working for me now." She dropped it like a bomb, hoping to get some kind of reaction from the boy. However, Yukio didn't seem to believe her.

_'Yea right. And I'm the greatest demon king to have ever walked in Assiah.'_ Yukio countered, sarcasm dripping his thoughts.

"Oh! You think I'm lying! HA! Well you're in for a shock. Fujimoto really is working for me Yukio. He's off, getting me the Moon Stone."

_'And next you'll be telling me Satan's possessed him! Like that'll ever happen.'_ **(1)**

"Really? You don't think he's working for me?" Sophie asked, ignoring Yukio's sarcasm. "Believe whatever you want," Sophie continued, shrugging. "But think about this for a second. What would your dad do, if his son's life depended on it." Yukio's eye lit up at statment. Well as much as they could, considering he was stuck in place.

'_No. You didn't. You wouldn't dare use me against him!'_

"Haha! Yea I did! Fujimoto will do anything I tell him to, so long as his son's life depends on it." She waited for Yukio to yell at her or respond in some way, but where he didn't, Sophie continued, "And to think! I originally planned for you to keep Rin under control, but instead you're helping me keep Fujimoto in check. Really, you have so much use! But once the dawning comes, you usefulness will decrease drastically."

_'I can't believe this… How could I let all this happen...'_ Yukio thought, to himself. Although, he couldn't keep his thoughts concealed from Sophie, so she responded to his 'question'.

"It's your kindness." She said, spitting out the word, 'kindness'. "You're too nice to everyone you meet. If you had just left that man to deal with his 'mugging' on his own, you wouldn't be here and Fujimoto wouldn't be working for me. Really, it's all your fault!" Mocked Sophie. She could feel her mood immediately lifted. _'I guess I should be happy about Fujimoto searching for the Moon Stone. If he wasn't I couldn't torture Yukio with the information.'_

_'It's all my fault….'_ Yukio thought. Sophie looked at him, and could tell that, if his body would let him, he would probably start crying.

"HA! You're so pathetic! You humans and your compassion! Deal with it! Move on!" However, Yukio just remained depressed. "Dammit Yukio, I'd kick you if I wasn't so lazy so as to deactivate and reactivate the Sun Stone." Sighing, Sophie saw that she wasn't going to get any more emotion out of Yukio, so she began to leave. Calling out behind her, she said to Yukio, "Anyway! I'm off! I have some important business to attend to!" Sophie marched out of the tent, off to search for more half-demons to brand, so as to keep her cult members busy.

* * *

_[ Rin's Subconscious ]_

"Dammit!" He cursed under his breath. Rin tried running around every corner and jumping over every obstacle, to hopefully make the demon chasing him stumble or slow down. But Astaroth was still gaining on him. Suddenly, when he turned a corner he was confronted by a mob of ghouls. Rin, trying to just ignore the dogs and keep running, was soon tackled to the ground by a few, and then pinned by the rest. He squirmed and struggled underneath the mass of dead animals, but couldn't get out before Astaroth had caught up to him.

"Prince, why do you run? Why do you try to run from your lineage? Your family?" asked Astaroth, not out of breath in the slightest from chasing after Rin.

"The old man and Yukio are my family! I'm not a demon; I am NOT the son of Satan!" screamed Rin. However, it was futile. With a simple gesture from Astaroth, the dogs backed off of Rin. Rin tried to scramble to get to his feet and run, but by then Astaroth had re-grabbed Rin's hand. "Let me go yo-you, Demon!" At this little outburst, the figure holding Rin's hand couldn't help but to be amused.

"But I'm not a demon, Rin." Looking up at the figure's face, Rin saw that it wasn't Astaroth holding him, it was Fujimoto.

"Dad!" Rin said, a smiling coming to face. He was saved! Suddenly, however, all the ghouls erupted in giant, blue flames. Rin stared at them in awe and fear. Out of nowhere the dogs started to bite each other and bleed a strange dark blood, that looked more black that it did red. Soon the blood started to mix together on the floor and a hideous creation came forth.

"Lord Satan has gotten word of your awakening! How splendid! That was much faster than I had first anticipated!" Rin looked at his father in horror as he said the words. _'What the hell?'_ Rin thought. '_What's going on?'_ Fujimoto patiently held his son's hand as he waited for the Gehenna Gate to finish forming. All the while Rin was wondering what his dad was doing.

"Time to meet your father, Rin," said Fujimoto.

"W-What? What are you talking about old man?" Fujimoto stared at his son, a smile curling onto his lips.

"Lord Satan has long awaited you! I've been keeping you save all these years!"

"But...you…"

"What did you expect? I'm a Satanist!" Fujimoto said, laughing, as he threw Rin into the Gate. Rin was slowly dragged down into the dark, his vision becoming cloudy, and his mind shutting down. The last thing he thought before he was swallowed by the Gate was, _'My dad is a Satanist…..'_

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Cave ] _

Rin awoke from his nightmare with a frighten gasp. He sat straight up in bed, breathing heavily and covered in sweat. He turned to his left, seeing Dugo next to him where they had fallen asleep, in his room.

"It was just a dream…" Rin whispered to himself. Slowly, Rin let himself lay back down, finding comfort in laying next to the small boy. His sudden movement, however, seemed to wake Dugo.

"Nii-san?" Dugo said, yawning. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing Dugo… I just had a bad dream is all." Dugo turned and looked at Rin, seeing the unrest on his face.

"Really? Are you sure it's nothing?" Dugo asked, thinking of yesterday, when Rin was really broken up.

"Yea… I'm sure…" replied Rin. However, his tone didn't do anything to help his case. Either way, Dugo decided he wasn't going to get anywhere with it, so he let the topic drop.

"Okay." Dugo said, yawning once more. "I'm gonna go take a bath. I didn't get a chance to take one yesterday."

"Yea… Okay." However, right before Dugo stepped out of the room, Rin asked,

"Dugo, do you know what time it is? It was like 3-4ish when we fell asleep. Can it really be the morning already?"

"Hold on, lemme check." Dugo said, sticking his head out the door. He called out down the hall, "Hey! Emily! What time is it?" Rin heard a muffled response, that even his demonically enhanced ears couldn't hear. Turning around, Dugo informed Rin,

"Emily said it was 8am."

"Wow…" said Rin, not believing he had slept for so long. "Thank you, Dugo."

"No problem." he said, a gleeful smile coming to his face. Afterwards, he went off to take his bath. After he had left, Rin got out of bed and changed his clothes. He didn't like the feel of wearing the same clothes that he slept in. Once he finished changing, Rin made his way to the main part of the cave, where he saw Emily, drinking a cup of coffee at the dining table. "Hey, Emily." Rin said, his voice lacking enthusiasm.

"Hey. How you feelin?" Emily said, knowing that Rin was down in the dumps when David said he was a Satanist.

"Like shit…" he replied. As he neared her, Emily pinched her nose saying,

"And you smell like it too! Go take a bath!"

"Do I really smell that bad?" Rin said, momentarily shaking off his saddened mood. "Dugo didn't say anything."

"Well he probably smelled bad too! Plus I saw HIM go to take a bath! See! He's smart!"

"I can't possibly smell THAT bad," said Rin, sniffing his underarm. However, when he did so, he could've sworn that it was at that moment that his nose died. "Okay…" he said, mocking that he had no air in his lungs by gasping like crazy, "I'm going to take a bath."

"Good! And don't worry, I'll get breakfast today."

"Please don't." He asked.

"What? Do you think I can't cook? Because let me tell you I-"

"No, it's not that. I just like cooking. Helps clear my head." Rin said, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"Oh… Okay. Yea, sure, no problem." As he walked away to the bathroom, he called back behind his shoulder saying,

"Thanks." However, right before he entered the bedroom hallway, he turned around towards Emily and asked, "Oh yea, by the way, where are David and Jacob?"

"Umm Jacob's still asleep I think, but David went out this morning to search for a job."

"Oh, cool."

"Now, stop stalling and go take a bath!"

"Yea yea! I'm going, Mom!" Rin said, jokingly, as he heading down the hall to the bathroom. When he entered, he found Dugo already soaking, like he said he was going to.

"Hey Nii-san!" he said, when Rin entered.

"Hey." Quickly, Rin undressed and entered the bath, taking a seat across from Dugo. Rin sighed as entered, feeling immediately relaxed by the nice hot water. "Damn, it feels good to take a bath." Rin said, mostly to himself.

"Yea it is. Hey, Nii-san. why are YOU taking a bath? I thought you were just gonna go without one." Dugo asked, knowing Rin too well.

"Well, I was originally going to go without one, but then Emily caught wind of me and probably would have started throwing rocks at me if I did come wash up."

"Oh, I see." After the two half-demons rinsed up, washing their bodies and hair, they dried off, using their color coded towels. Afterwards, they got dressed and joined Emily at the dining table.

"Thank god!" she wailed as Rin sat down, his stench having left him. "You don't smell like shit anymore!"

"Hardy-har-har." said Rin, smiling.

"You want some coffee?" Emily offered.

"Yea, sure, why not?"

"Great! Me too, can you make us some?" She said, pushing her empty cup towards Rin. Rin glared at her with a hateful stare. "What!? You SAID you wanted to make breakfast! Coffee counts as a drink FOR breakfast."

"Your so sneaky." Rin said, sweeping up the cup and heading over to the coffee maker.

"How do you like it?" he asked as he walked away. However in response, Emily just laughed.

"I'm so sorry! HAHAHA! I just! I just imagined you as! hehehe As a old waitress at one of those breakfast diners!" She could barely get the sentence out between her laughs, but when she did, Dugo looked at Rin and laughed with her, finding the idea funny.

"Oh shut up! Or else I ain't going to make you food!"

"I'm so sorry!" Emily said, still laughing. "Okay! Okay! I'll try to calm down." she continued, trying to calm down and take deep breaths.

"Good. So what do you want for breakfast?" Rin asked the two of them at the table. And much to Rin's surprise, it was Emily who said,

"Let's have pancakes."

"Wow! You too huh?"

"What?! I like pancakes! Plus yours are AWESOME!" Now, it was Rin's turn to laugh.

"Okay! Whatever! Pancakes it is." Rin could practically FEEL Dugo's face being litten up by a smile. Rin lost himself as he made the pancakes. Allowing himself to forget all about the events of the previous day and his dream from last night. At least, for a little while.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, The Monastery ] _

Fujimoto was pacing back and forth. He had barely gotten any sleep the previous night, considering how everything at the park turned out. He couldn't stand the fact that he couldn't protect Rin anymore, for multiple reasons. One, Sophie could easily get into the monastery seeing as how she managed to get a key to the place. Two, every exorcist on the planet has been told to kill Rin on sight, should they see him. And Three, Rin believed him to be a Satanist. The one that got to Fujimoto the most, however, was the last one. He was working for Sophie, that was a reluctant fact, but he wasn't doing it because he WANTED to do it. He was doing it because he HAD to do it, for Yukio. And now, when he finds Rin, he discovered that he's being sheltered by the very person he was set out to find and steal from. On top of that, David was probably spoon feeding Rin lies about him, trying to drive a stake between them. It crushed Fujimoto's heart to think about it. However, mopping around wasn't going to help anything. He decided that he'd save Yukio first and then he'd have Yukio help him explain everything to Rin and set the record straight. Trying to put his feelings aside, Fujimoto moved onto researching. Along with a article on the shooting at the mall and the file Sophie gave him, Fujimoto searched up the school that David went to, two years previously in the US. He called up the school, but had momentarily forgot that they probably didn't speak japanese. So, he found David's old address in Sophie's file, and then realised he had a friend who lived in the states who might be able to help him get there. Quickly, Fujimoto got the phone and dialed his friend's number, hopping it was still in service. Luckily, it was.

"Hello?" answered a deep voiced man, in english.

"Jeff? Jeff, it's Fujimoto."

"Shiro? What's shaking my man?!" replied the man, Jeff, in japanese.

"I think I need your assistance. I have a set of parents I need to question, but they speak english, not japanese. Plus they live in the US. Do you think you can help me?"

"Of course man! Anything to help a bro out! I think I still have a key to your place. I'll head on over in 5 minutes. Tell me more when we get there!" The 'we' Jeff was referred to, was his familiar, Honey. His familiar was a mid-level firefox, but Jeff hardly ever de-summoned it, and likes to think of her as a pet. Sighing, Fujimoto hung up the phone, glad that Jeff was willing to help out. However, he had to keep the reason for the mission secret. He couldn't let him know or find out that he was doing this for a Satanist. After five minutes had past, which seemed to be an eternity for the anxious Fujimoto, Jeff showed up, entering through the front door. Jeff was wearing a polo and a pair of short, both bearing the insignia of the Knights of the True Cross. He was a fairly tall person, maybe an inch or two taller than Fujimoto, and had long brown hair. Some might call him a hippie, because of how he acted, talked, and how he wore his hair. The only thing that didn't practically yell 'Hippie' were his clothes. Following behind him was Honey. She basically looked like a golden retriever, but instead of having just one tail, it had nine that all seemed to float and whip around her.

"Yo! What's shaking my man?" Jeff said, grabbing Fujimoto's hand shaking it. "How've you been? Oh Hey! Where are those kids of yours? Haven't seen those guys since they were like 2!"

"They are uh… out... right now. Anyway, come on in to my office. We can discuss the mission in their."

"Righty-oh!" Fujimoto led Jeff into his office, showing him the files of David.

"Yea, I have to find this kid for the Vatican," Fujimoto said, lying. "He supposedly has something that they want. Problem is, I have basically no information on him. I hoping to find out more by talking to his parents. That's where you come in. He obviously learned to speak japanese, but I doubt his parents do. They live in Ohio."

"I see. Wow, he was at a shooting only a few days ago and the cops never caught him?" Jeff asked, looking through the articles Fujimoto had laying across his desk.

"Yea. It's thought that he used a key to escape." Fujimoto said. Although, it was another lie. The only one who thought that was Fujimoto himself, because he was the one looking into it.

"Wow. Well, I have a key that can get us to Pennsylvania, man. It'll be, likea 3 hour car ride from there to this address." Jeff said, pointing to the address in Sophie's file on David.

"That's fine. It's only," Fujimoto paused, checking the time on his computer, "8am. We can be there by 11."

"Bro, theres a time difference of over there, of about three hours. When we got there it'll be 5am. After the car ride we'll be at the house at 8."

"What!? It's 5am over there!? Wait a minute… don't you live in Pennsylvania? You answered my call at 5am?"

"What can I say, man. I like to wake up early!"

"I think you're more of a hippie now, then you were when I first met you…" Fujimoto muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" asked Jeff, not making out what he said.

"It's nothing. Anyway, before we go, I need to stop by the True Cross Library. They have a book for me on hold. Might as well read it during the car ride."

"Great thinking man! Anyway, he's a key to my house in Pennsylvania. When you ready come on over and we get on the road." Jeff said, handing Fujimoto a key with a smile.

"Thanks, Jeff, for agreeing to help out."

"No problem, bro! I was getting bored anyway!" With that, Jeff let himself out, returning to his house. Quickly, because none of the other priests had woken up yet, he left a note saying that he went off on a mission for the vatican and left it on the kitchen table. Directly afterwards, he took out a key and heading off to the library. Approaching the Librarian, Fujimoto said,

"I'm here to pick up a book. Reserved for Fujimoto Shiro." The woman nodded her head and turned around her to the bookcase behind here. Having been here before, Fujimoto knew that the books kept behind her where all the ones that were on hold for exorcists across the globe. Fujimoto never saw the day when that bookcase WASN'T packed.

"Ah yes, It's right here." the woman said, pulling it off the shelf.

"Thank you." Fujimoto said, accepting the book. It was titled, 'Satanic Cults and their inventions'. It was a little strange for a book such as this one to be found in an exorcist library, but the same went for a lot of the books in the library. Either way, Fujimoto didn't question it, because he knew there was a section in there about the Sun and the Moon Stones, and he was dying to read it. After he obtained the book, Fujimoto made used the key to get to Jeff's house, where the two of them set out on their journey to David's parent's house.

* * *

**AN: (1) OHHHHH It was just TOO easy to throw in there! I don't know if you'll find it funny, but I was dying! :P**


	31. Chapter 31

**AN: HEY! THIS IS THE UPDATE! YEAAAA! FINALLY RIGHT?! Sorry it took so long :P Anyway, I'm also sorry I said I'd update Wednesday. TECHNICALLY it's Wednesday for me, but it's like 11:00pm :P I just write more at night, so that's when I update it. Sorry!**

* * *

**[ The Previous Day, aka Friday ] **

_[ In Assiah, Somewhere in Canada ] _

Sophie gathered a small group of Satanist for the journey. The team consisted of her, Mason, and two others. The one, unfortunately, was very chatty. This pissed Sophie off to no end.

"Ahhh man! This is so awesome!" He exclaimed with glee. His voice filled the car that they were driving in. After gathering the four, they used a key to travel to a small town in Canada, where they stole a car. Having stolen a car, the four traveled up and down every street, allowing Sophie to conduct her search. "So," continued the obnoxious man, "how do we find half-demons?" Sophie pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to stop the headache. She wished so much that she could kill this man, but as it was her cult was decreasing in numbers. She needed everyone she could get, even the annoying ones.

"I can just sense them." Sophie responded, hoping the man would just shut up. However, he didn't.

"What? No way! That's so cool!" The man said.

"Would you just shut up?!" Sophie roared, losing her patience. "I'm trying to concentrate!" Although, this was a lie. Sophie didn't need to concentrate at all to feel the presence of another half-demon. She was just sick and tired of hearing the man talk. Whispering his apologies, the man stopped talking. Mason, the one driving the car, went down every street, waiting for Sophie to see if she felt anything. However, after roughly two hours of driving through the town, they found nothing.

"Damn…" Sophie muttered. "Looks like nothings here. Lets try the next town." The four of them abandoned the car and headed to a nearby building, where they used a key to hop to another town. Once again they conducted a thorough search, and once again they came up empty handed. They searched four different towns and cities, but each time came up short. It wasn't until the fifth city they searched that they came across another half-demon. The four Satanists were in Toronto, Canada. It was while they were driving by a school that Sophie sensed the presence of the other half-demon.

"Stop!" Sophie yelled, startling everyone in the car.

"What?!" Mason asked.

"I sense one. They're in the school." Sophie said, pointing out her window.

"Great." said one of the two other Satanists. Checking the car clock and seeing that it was currently 2:10pm in Toronto, the man continued, "Classes should be ending soon, so all we have to do is wait."

"Yea." agreed Sophie. "I'm going to sneak onto school grounds and see if I can find the half-demon. I'll text you it's description." Sophie said, tossing a phone to Mason.

"Roger that." replied the overly obnoxious man from the back seat. It took all of Sophie's strength to not punch the man square in the face. Stepping out of the car, Sophie proceeded to walk straight onto the high school's campus. There were very few faculty members walking about, so Sophie was easily able to sneak past them. It also helped that it was a public school, so that meant there were no uniforms and that Sophie's casual clothes suited her purpose perfectly fine. She walked across the grass and found a side door, which had been left open to allow cool air in. Entering through the door, Sophie found herself in a long hallway with many doors, each marking a separate classroom. As Sophie walked by the rooms, silently, she could see through small windows on the door, that each class had roughly 20-30 students in each.

"Wow… this is a pretty big school." she whispered to herself. As she proceeded down the hall, she felt her the presence of the half-demon intensify. Soon, she approached the room were the presence originated from. "I guess they're in there." Sophie said to herself. However, as she reached for the door knob, the dismissal bell rang. The door burst open, and tons of people stampeded into the hall. Sophie was barely able to move out of the way of the incoming crowd. She stood there, waiting patiently by the door. She could feel the demonic presence still in the classroom, so she didn't have to worry about chasing them through a crowd, yet. After the bulk of the students had left the classroom, Sophie wormed her way in and searched the remaining students to try and find the half-demon. However, none of the students in the room were giving off a demonic presence, so that meant that…

"Hello, Sophie. What brings you here?" Sophie spun around to see the teacher addressing her by name. She was also speaking in Japanese, which freaked out the few remaining students. Sophie rose her guard. She didn't know this woman, but she obviously knew her.

"Who are you?" Sophie replied, speaking in Japanese as well, to keep her conversation as private as possible. Sophie could feel the woman's demonic aura emanating from her. It surprised her that she had missed it when she walked into the room, but, in her defense, she had expected it to be a student.

"Wow, I'm hurt." The woman said. "I know I haven't seen you in a while, but you don't remember you Auntie Debra?"

"Aunt Debra?" Sophie asked, completely confused. The teacher, Debra, sighed, waving her hand.

"You were two when I last saw you. It doesn't matter. I'm Dugo's mother." Debra said, extending her hand for a handshake. Sophie stared at the woman, stunned.

"B-But, Dugo's mother died in a house fire." Sophie said, taking a step back.

"That's what I wanted you to think." Debra replied, smiling. However, it didn't last long. Debra's smile soon vanished and her voice became much more threatening.

"So… which are you?" Sophie asked. It was obvious what she was implying, at least to Debra.

"Samael, King of Time." she stated simply. The fact took Sophie by surprise. She met Samael once, while she had attended True Cross to get to Rin, and he didn't seem like the kind of person to have children. However, before she could say anything else, Debra continued, "Now, I've come too far to have you ruin everything, Sophie. Leave. And don't tell anyone you saw me." Sophie stood there, baffled. _'What does she mean by ruin everything? And what is she doing in Canada?'_ Sophie, snapping back to reality, realised that Debra had just commanded her to do something. She was about to make a retort, because she hated being told what to do, but she could feel the power that practically poured out of the woman. She decided it would be best not to mess with her.

"Fine." Sophie said, about to leave. However, before she could leave, Debra said,

"Oh, and Sophie? I know that you branded my little Dugo. Be prepared to suffer the consequences." As she spoke, the woman's aura intensified, her power seeming to rise well over double what it had previously been. Slowly, and a little fearfully, Sophie exited into the hall. After her threat, Debra's voice returned to it's usual, calm tone and she called out after Sophie, in english, "It was nice seeing you again, Sophie!" Out of fear, Sophie quickened her pace, practically running past all the other students in the hall. It was all Debra could do to keep herself from laughing as the girl ran away. Sophie pushed passed all the students as she burst out of the building in a near sprint. She wiped out her cell phone as she did so, and called Mason.

"So, what do they look like?" Mason asked when her picked up.

"Pull the car around. Now." Sophie said, breathing heavily into the phone.

"Sophie? What's wrong?"

"Pull the. Damn. Car. Around." Sophie continued, as she ran across the courtyard. She hung up on Mason, not bothering herself with answering questions right now. She just had to leave before Debra changed her mind. 'How could one person be so strong?' Sophie thought to herself. Even though she didn't fight her, or even see Debra use any of her demonic powers, Sophie could tell that she was far stronger than any other demon or half-demon she had met. Except for maybe Rin, when he was out of control. And that was a BIG maybe. As she neared the exit of the school's courtyard, the car pulled up and she hopped into the passenger seat.

"Drive." Sophie said, breathlessly. And Mason did as commanded, easing his foot onto the gas pedal.

"What happened?" asked the obnoxious cult member from the back seat.

"None of your damn business." Sophie spat. After a short drive in no particular direction, Sophie addressed her 'team'. "We're done for today. Mason pull over, we'll use a key to return." Nodding, Mason did as he was told. The four of them abandoned the stolen car, and used a door to a nearby gas station to return to Hell's Carnival. After they arrived, Sophie walked off to her hall of mirrors, to think through what Debra had said. _'I'm come too far to have you ruin everything…. What would I be ruining…? And how come she's being so secretive about it all? Everyone thinks she's dead… Even Dugo.'_ Sophie dwelled on it for a little longer, but gave up on it.

"So long as it doesn't mess with my plans," Sophie said to herself, "I don't give a damn what she does."

* * *

** [ Present Day, aka Saturday ] **

_[ In Assiah, The Cave ] _

After Rin, Dugo, and Emily all finished their pancakes, they all decided to watch TV together.

"So!" Emily exclaimed, dropped down onto the couch. "Whatcha wanna watch?"

"I don't know." Rin said, taking a seat next to her. "I don't watch TV much, so I wouldn't know what's good and what's not."

"Spongebob!" Dugo suggested, taking a seat on the floor by Rin's feet.

"Dugo, Spongebob's for children." Emily explained.

"I am a child." Dugo looked up into Emily's eyes, a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"That's not what I meant! I meant, we should find something that all three of us would enjoy. Me and Rin, here, aren't children."

"Oh…. What about Tom and Jerry?" Offered Dugo.

"Uh….. Kinda the same thing. It's also for kids."

"Well, I'm outa ideas." He said, shrugging.

"Then let's just look at the guide." Emily suggested, clicking a few buttons on the remote.

"What's Mirai Nikki?" **(1)** Rin asked, pointing at one of the listings.

"Hmmm? Oh, I think it's an anime." Scrolling down onto it, Emily looked up the description for the show. " 'When a young boy, Yukiteru "Yuki" Amano, is granted a diary that can predict the future, he is thrown into a fight for his life as he battles eleven others with diaries that can also predict the future. These battles that take place are apart of 'The Survival Games' in which the winner is chosen to become the next god.' Sounds interesting."

"Wanna watch that?" Rin asked.

"I'm down for it, but it's rated Tv-14, meaning there might be some blood and gore." Emily said, hinting at what she believed to be Rin's fear of blood. "Plus, Dugo's a little young to be watching something that could possibly be graphic."

"Yea, guess you're right." Rin responded, a little sad. The description seemed so cool. "Wait a minute, what up with all the, freaking animes? Do you get any NORMAL TV down here?" Looking at the guige, it seemed that there was nothing BUT anime to choose from.

"YES! I just like anime… so I got the anime package that the cable company offered…. HEY! Don't look at me like that! Anime is completely cool for your information!" Emily said, looked at Rin's expression.

"No, No! I like it too. It's just kinda funny. I didn't take you for an otaku."

"What? I'm NOT an otaku! I just like anime okay? Don't go twist-"

"Hey! What's that?!" Dugo interrupted, as he stood up and placed his finger on the screen. He was pointing to a show that was called 'Stiens;Gate' **(2)**.

"Oh hey!" Emily said, catching sight of the name, "I watched that before! It's this really weird and confusing anime where this group of people accidently stumble upon time travel! Except it's not really perfected. They can only send text messages back in time. However, it's still really cool."

"Can we watch it?" Dugo asked.

"Fine by me." Rin replied.

"Okay, then, it's decided." Emily scrolled down to it, and clicked 'Okay' on the remote. Luckily for them, it had just started and it was the first episode. _'This is a pretty good way to spend a Saturday morning.'_ Rin thought to himself, as he listened to the catchy opening. However, right as the show was about to start, David came bursting into the Cave through the laundry room door.

"Hey everyone!"

"Shut up!" the three of them said in unison, none of them bothering to take their eyes off the screen.

"What are you watching?" David asked. However, when none of them responded, David walked over and scooped up the remote, shutting off the TV. THAT got their attention.

"HEY! Give that back!" Rin shouted, lunging for the remote. However, at the same time, Emily said,

"You asshole!" and lept for the remote as well. The two of them easily overpowered David and retrieved the remote.

"Ha!" Rin said, taunting David with the remote. After Rin turned the TV back on, Emily turned to look at David and asked,

"So, you get a job yet?"

"I applied for some, but none have gotten back to me yet."

"WOW man." Rin said, "It's like wicked early! What places are even open?" David just stared at him with a blank look.

"Rin… it's like 11:30. EVERYTHING is open!"

"It's early for me…." Rin mumbled, his tail flicked back and forth in slight annoyance. Sitting down, David joined the others and watched Steins;Gate with them. On the next commercial break, Dugo spoke up, raising a very good point,

"Hey, where's Jacob? Does he usually sleep in this late?"

"Yea, now that you mention it, I haven't seen him all morning." Emily responded. "He's usually the first one up. I'm going to go check up on him." Emily got up from her comfy position on the couch, and walked down the hallway to Jacob's room. However, when she got there, Jacob wasn't in bed. She knocked on the bathroom, and then opened it, after giving fair warning, but he wasn't there either. Quickly, she checked every other bedroom, to see if maybe he had gone into a different bedroom for whatever reason, but he wasn't in any of them. "GUYS! We got a problem!" Emily said, returning to the main room.

"What's up?" Rin asked.

"Jacob's gone. He's not in the bathroom or any of the bedrooms. I think he just up and left."

"What?!" David exclaimed, surprised.

"What? Is that a bad thing?" Dugo asked, not getting way it was a big deal.

"Yes it is, Dugo. We tell each other where we are going at all times, for safety precautions. Usually, exorcists don't mess with us, but every once in a while, they come after us. It's safer to know where everyone is at all times." David explained.

"Oh."

"Well, should we go out and look for him?" Emily suggested.

"Yes. But, I don't want Rin and Dugo here alone." David said.

"What?! Why? We were fine when you left us before!" Rin complained.

"I just want to be safe, okay? Anyway, I'll go look for Jacob, Emily you stay here with these two. Call me if anything comes up." Quickly, David left off on his search for Jacob.

"That David, sucha worry wart." Emily said, retaking her seat on the couch. "Jacob's probably fine. He's most likely at the zoo, even though it's his day off. He really likes it there." After a brief moment of silence, Dugo said,

"Guys! Guys! Guys! The shows back on!" And together, the three of them continued to watch the strange time-traveling anime.

* * *

_[ In Assiah, En route to Ohio ] _

Fujimoto found the car ride to be quite relaxing, actually. Thankfully, Jeff was willing to drive, so Fujimoto was able to read the book he had checked out at the Exorcist library. He found the book to VERY informational and helpful. All he had to go of off was the term 'Moon Stone'. He had previously no idea what the stone did or what it looked like, but his book as the answer to his prayers.

According to the book, the Moon Stone was a 'terribly grotesque object, created by a Satanist.' Frankly, Fujimoto thought it was over exaggerating a little, but he read on. He discovered multiple things about the Moon Stone, but it only further confused him. In his readings, Fujimoto discovered that the Moon Stone held the power to create an impenetrable shield that could stop anything and everything from passing it. However, at the cost of this, the user of the stone was frozen in their position, unable to move. It was created with it's sister stone, the Sun Stone, which had a similar effect. It too robbed people of their movement, but the Sun Stone didn't create an impenetrable barrier. It was theorized that the Sun Stone was made for the sole purpose of imprisoning things. Continuing on, Fujimoto found some hypotheses as to why the two stones were made and how they are connected. In the boom it was thought that when the two stones meet, something BIG was supposed to happen, but it never specified what was going to happen. Further into the book, it says that the two stones were confiscated by some Satanic worshippers in the late 1700's. They were then entrusted to two high ranking Exorcists whose names have been lost in the records. However, when they died, they never told anyone where they hid their stones. The end of the section about the stones ended with, 'To this day, nobody knows exactly where the stones are buried...'

Fujimoto slammed the book shut and tossed behind him, into the back seat. "That may have been the biggest waste of time ever. I learned almost nothing important from that damned book." Fujimoto was mostly talking to himself, but Jeff couldn't help but to intrude.

"What's that book have to do with you case again?" "

Uh…. It ah…" Fujimoto tried to rack his brain for a lie, but nothing was coming to him.

"I mean, were going to see some kid's parents right? What does that book have to do with that kid?"

"He uhh… took something! He took something, so I was just reading up on the item he took, but there's nothing important on in that book."

"Oh, I see, man. That's cool." After a short sigh, Jeff continued, "Anyway, bro, we're almost at the parent's place. We should be there in, like, a half hour."

"Thanks again Jeff. I'm, very grateful that you were willing to do this."

"No problem, bra! I've been so bored lately! The Vatican don't give enough to do!"

"Maybe you can take some of my work." Fujimoto grumbled, remembering all the ridiculous crap that they were giving him. After the remaining half hour, the two of them, or three if you include Honey, they arrived outside of David's parent's house. "It's 8:18," Fujimoto pointed out, "Do you think they're up?"

"Probably." Jeff said, shrugging. "Honey, wait in the car." Jeff said to his familiar, looking at it through the rear-view mirror. Exiting the car, Jeff and Fujimoto made their way to the front door. Wanting to get the information he needed asap, Fujimoto eagerly rang the doorbell. After a short delay, a nice lady, looking to be in her forties, answered the door.

"Hello? Can I help you?" She asked, in english.

"Uh, yes, actually." Jeff responded, also in english. "I'm agent Jefferson of the OHPD. This," Jeff continued, gesturing to Fujimoto, "is my partner, Shiro. We are here to ask you and your husband about your son, David." At her son's name, the woman seemed to become conflicted. Her face was a mixture of sadness, disappointment, and excitement.

"What did he do?" She asked. Jeff turned to Fujimoto and asked the question David's Mother had asked in japanese.

"Tell her that he stole from a convenience store. It was nothing serious, but we need to know more about him so we can build a profile on him."

"Wait what?" the woman said, staring at Fujimoto, "Was that japanese?"

"Ah, yes." Jeff said, turning to the woman. "You see, my man Shiro here comes from Japan, but he's one of our best detectives. I'm basically just the guy that translates for him! Anyway, your son just stole a few things from a convenience store and it's apart of our job to make a profile on him. To do that, we came to you."

"Yes, well, you can come in." The woman said, stepping aside so the two could enter the house. "Sweetie!" she shouted, as they entered, "There are a few men from the police department here! They want to talk to us about David." David's mother led Jeff and Fujimoto through their house to the kitchen, where a man, David's father, was sitting reading the newspaper. "Hon, this is Jefferson and Shiro from the OHPD."

"Pleasure to meet you." The man said, standing up and shaking Jeff's hand.

"Please," David's mother said, "take a seat." The only reason Fujimoto understood what she said, was because she had gestured for them to do so.

"So," David's father said, "what do you want to know about my boy?"

"Well, let's start off from when you last saw him."

"Well…. that was about two years ago, on his sixteenth birthday. He went out to the movies with his friends, then just… disappeared. At first, we thought that something bad had happened to him, but it turns out he just ran away, because we got a letter from him about a year ago saying how sorry he was. After that, we tried to write back, but he changed addresses."

"I see…" Jeff said, scribbling down in a notebook and showing it to Fujimoto.

"Uh… what are you doing?" "

Oh! Sorry Hon," David's mother said, "I forgot to tell you. Shiro here only speaks japanese, so agent Jefferson here translates for him."

"Oh."

"How'd you know that's what I was writing?" Jeff asked. "Just because I can't read it or understand it, doesn't mean I don't know what japanesse looks like."

"Touche." Speaking up, Fujimoto said,

"I don't care about when they last saw him. I want you to beat around the bush a little and see if they know if he's a demon or not." Sighing, Jeff said,

"Shiro here, wants to know if you son showed any, unusual signs. Anything odd or strange about the boy while he was growing up?"

"Not really." replied David's mother, wondering how that had anything to do with him robbing a convenience store. "David was very average person. Nice, smart, decent looks. He was adopted, but other than that, nothing was 'strange' or 'different' about him."

"Okay…" Jeff said, continuing his scribbling. Reading what he wrote, Fujimoto said,

"They don't know anything. They'll be no help to us. Ask them if they know one or both of the birth parents. If they do, great, we'll go to them. If they don't, oh well, we leave." Nodding, Jeff relayed the message.

"No, sorry." David's father said, "We got him from an orphanage at a young age. If I recall correctly, they said the mother had left him on their doorstep anonymously."

"Oh, well. Thanks for your time."

"No problem."

"We'll see ourselves out." Not bothering to translate what they said at the end of the conversation, Jeff got up, signaling to Fujimoto that it was time to go.

"I'm guess they knew nothing." Fujimoto stated.

"It would appear so, man. Sorry."

"No, it's okay. Thank you for driving me." After they left the house, the two parted ways. Fujimoto using a key to return home, and Jeff driving back to his house in Pennsylvania. What neither of them heard was the small exchange of words that David's parent's had after they left. If they had, they might have been more inclined to stay.

"Those were exorcists, weren't they?"

"Yes, Yes they were."

* * *

**AN: (1) Anyone watch it? It's also called future Diary. LOVE IT! If you life sci-fi/horror/insane people you'll like it. **

**(2) Anyone watch it? I'm currently in the middle of it, and have been listening to the opening on a loop for forever! Just love that opening so much!**


	32. I'm SO Sorry

**SHOOT ME WHERE I STAND! PLEASE! I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON! I'VE LITERALLY BEEN SITTING AT MY COMPUTER FOR THE BEETER PART OF THIS WEEKEND AND NOTHING! I HAVE WRITTEN 10,000 WORDS OF CRAP! I'VE HAD WRITERS BLOCK FOR FOREVER! AND I CAN'T TAKE IT! PLUS I HATE MYSELF FOR NOT UPDATING LAST WEEK. I had complications with the website -_-**

**Anyway! No update this week... At least not today. Those 10,000 words were two separate chapters (one from last week, one from this week), but I don;t like the way it turned out, so I'm re-writing it. ANDDDDD Next weekend I'm going to Techoshocon! Which is kinda stressing me out, cause I don't have my cosplay done yet... fml... Anyway! IF there's going to be update, and that's an IF, it will be when I have A)Written a chapter that I deam as ;not shit' and B)If I have time after school this week. **

**Once again, really sorry to all of those people who wanted an update D: Sorry I kind let you down...**


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